


Star Wars: Reversal of Fortune

by lordhadrian



Series: The Star Wars Saga by Lordhadrian [7]
Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, F/M, Jedi, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Sith, The Force
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2015-04-07
Packaged: 2018-03-21 17:28:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3700867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordhadrian/pseuds/lordhadrian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Conradin Hadranus is given one last chance to achieve victory for Dooku and the Separatist cause.  He is sent to attack the planet of Drongar, currently used as a rest for wounded Clones and Jedi.  Several members of the Jedi Council are gathered there to prepare strategies that could end the war.</p><p>General Grievous attempts to play a grand chess game with everyone, sabotaging Conradin's ship, and luring Asajj Ventress and Anakin Skywalker to Drongar to eliminate as many Jedi as possible with a bomb on Conradin's ship, a bomb that will wipe out everything on Drongar.</p><p>Darth Plagueis also schemes.  His world, Korriban is dying, and he attempts to corrupt Conradin once more, to use him in the war against Sidious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reversal of Fortune Part 1

Star Wars: Reversal of Fortunes

 

WAR! The Republic has been torn apart in the conflict the shape the destiny of the Galaxy. For some, it is a Revolution to end stifling corruption, for others, it is a fight to end a treasonous insurrection. There is heroism and villainy on both sides. Many are torn by loyalty to their leaders and what is right in their Hearts.  
Conradin Hadranus, The "Emerald General", struggles to find his place in the conflict, torn between his loyalties to Dooku's ideals, and the demons that haunt his soul, knowing he is a Sith creation.  
Dooku continues in his plans to out maneuver the Sith lord, Darth Sidious, though the situation grows desperate for the Separatists.

 

 

(POV pans down to the bright white planet of Rhen Var. We cut to the ancient ruin temple, where two figures practice sabre fighting in the dimly lit great hall. One is a towering Jedi with a sweeping cape with a white sabre, the other is a young fair haired boy of 11, also wielding a white sabre)

Dooku: No! Keep your feet spaced. You must watrch your balance, or the enemy will trip you up.

(They cross blades. He is good, but struggles harder than Dooku)

Dooku: You're holding the blade too loose.

(He smacks the blade from the boy's grip, but the boy recovers fast, jumping, tumbling to his sabre. He reaches out to it, jumps in the air as it flies into his hand. He lands behind Dooku and slashes out with more grace. Dooku still blocks his attack, but is now on the defensive footing. The boy slowly gains ground)

Hadranus: I have you now!

Dooku: DON'T BRAG!!

(Dooku waves his hand. Hadranus flies off and smacks into a pillar. He is sore, but recovers fast, ignoring the pain)

Dooku: Don't get cocky unless you can back it up completely. If your opponent can crush you like that, then it's a bunch of empty words.

Hadranus: I'm the chosen one! Born to bring balance!

(Dooku smacks him into the pillar again with a sneer)

Dooku: You're nothing but a spoiled brat who couldn't tie his shoes without a droid's help!

Hadranus: NOT TRUE!

(Hadranus swings and leaps. An impressive acrobatic move that does not suprise Dooku. He force slams Hadranus again. Hadranus starts to get frustrated)

Dooku: I knew I should have focused on little Poggle. At least he put up a fight!

Hadranus: Shut up!

Dooku: IS this the best you have?? YOU'RE WORTHLESS!

Hadranus: SHUT UP!!!!!!

(Hadranus' anger flares up red lightning from the tip of his light sabre. His eyes glow red and the chamber begins to shake. Dooku starts to grin)

Dooku: Come on!! Show me your power! FOCUS!!

(Hadranus let's out a shout a charges Dooku, but not with wild abandon. He becomes one with his blade, almost as if it were doing all the work. Dooku now starts struggling. The red lightning starts to burn his cape)

Dooku: Good! Good!

(Hadranus dances the dance of the dark side. Flips, summersaults, at one with the energy soaring into him. He feels the edge, the heat of anger as he senses victory over Dooku)

Dooku: Now....come back from the brink!!! SLOWLY!!! Let it out!!

(Feeling the power growing too fast to control, Hadranus stops and concentrates, trying to calm his heart down. He let's out a yell and thrusts his sabre into the floor, releasing the pent up dark force energy like a thermal detonator. A red explosion of lightning shakes the temple. Even Dooku is thrown clear by the shock wave. After a few seconds, Hadranus brings peace back into his mind and soul. He is kneeling in a huge crater in the center of the hall. He comes to his senses and realizes he has injured his master)

Hadranus: Master Dooku!

(Dooku slowly gets up off the floor, shaking his head)

Dooku: I am fine.......

(Hadranus starts to feel vulnerable and a bit scared. A part of him wants to run home and forget ever becoming a Jedi)

Dooku: Did you feel it? Could you feel the advantage it gave you?

(The young lad started shivering from an unnatural cold)

Hadranus: I don't like that feeling.....What's happening?

Dooku: You are manifesting your true potential. DO NOT FEAR IT! Control it, or it will destroy you.

Hadranus: Shiny.

Dooku: It only proves that you may be right. Of all my students, you have shown the capability of being the chosen one. You not only have the potential power......you have the ability to control it!

(Dooku puts his hand on the boy's shoulder. Hadranus is shaking, half excited, half terrified)

Hadranus: This is dangerous.

Dooku: You can harness both the light and the dark. You are only in danger if you let it fully consume you. Always remember your training, Conradin. Use this experience to gain wisdom, not fear......

 

(He looks up at Dooku's fading image. Conradin has been dwelling on this memory as we cut to the present, where He is now a young man in his twenties. He lays in his ship's quarters, trying to block out the world for a short time. Two and a half years have past since the terrible event of Geonosis, the birth of the clone wars, 2 months since the debacle on Geidi Prime, the debacle that nearly cost him his life. A vidscreen plays in front of him, showing one of the various round the clock galactic news channels, updating him on all the public protests, Palpatine's speeches, fighting on various worlds, Propaganda branding all CIS personnel as traitors, etc.)

Hadranus: And it just keeps going on and on.....

(A signal beeps by the monitor. Droid General VGR-001 calls to him from the bridge)

Hadranus: Yes?

VGR: Message coming in from Command Center. There will be a briefing in the ready room in 10 minutes.

Hadranus: On my way.

(The droid captain, a curious and unconventional model, breaks protocol)

VGR: Did you sleep well, General?

(Hadranus blinks for a moment, caught by suprise)

Hadranus: I am well, Veeger. At least, as well as can be expected. I'll be up in a moment.

(The young Commander grooms himself, showering quickly and quietly in the dim light of his quarters. The room is mostly spartan, but he has livened it up with some items, comfortable furniture, a few holovid photos of past friendships. He stares for a moment at a photo taken on Naboo, in a time long, long ago......in a place that feels very far, far away. He looks at smiling faces of himself, Anakin, Luminara, Barriss, Nikael, Obi-wan, Dooku and his secret Jedi students, Septime, Padme, Sabe, Jar-Jar, and Sache. It was the best of times, and the worst. They were celebrating victory over the Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo. They also mourned terrible losses. Master Sifo-Dyas, Master Qui-gon Jinn, young Poggle III. Yet the losses made them bond together that day. It was a bond that was supposed to last forever. Here he was, years later, staring at the photo, feeling empty)

Hadranus: (whispering) How did it come to this?

(Cut to- The ready room. Hadranus enters in full uniform and beret, taking his place at the round tactical table. With him on the ship were General VGR-001, faithful companion droid R5-D4, and Hadranus' own Jedi companions Nyssa Arachna, Aviva Motaru and Vlad Pharis. Several blue images filled various spots around the table of more distant figures like Dooku, Shu Mai, Passel Argente, Poggle the lesser, etc. General Grievous image joins from his ship near the Rishi maze. He is the last to join the group. All eyes turn to the ruthless Cyborg)

Dooku: As you know, Rune Haako's defeat at the Purple Plateau on Drongar was only a minor setback. General Grievous has outlined a strike plan to retake Drongar from the Republican cowards and their puppet Jedi commanders. Grievous, I give the floor to you.....

(Grievous' image bows humbly, though there is nothing humble about this cold blooded killer)

Grievous: I have put the 306th fleet into retreat procedures, to give the impression that we are giving up the system. The Republic is familiar with their drill. I have done this with the 306th several times to give them a reputation of cowardice. At least, in this instance, Rune has succeeded with flying colors. The clones and the stinking Jedi are now in a relaxed state as they prepare to celebrate another supposed victory......

(Grievous turns to Hadranus)

Grievous: This is where *you* come in, General.

(Hadranus became slightly defensive. There is not much love loss between the two, so it is an odd feeling when Hadranus finds himself politely addressed as *General*)

Hadranus: Yes, sir?

Grievous: The Republic is using Drongar as a waystop for supplies. Our spies tell us that as far as Palpatine is concerned, the frontlines are now at Tatooine, Sollust, Mygeeto, Selucia and the Mutaran Nebula. Their defenses will be weak, and my sources tell me that half the Jedi high command will be regrouped there to lick their wounds. A fast atmospheric strike with your flagship at the sector 8 highlands will serve us quite an advantage. Their supplies will be cut, their generals will be taken out, and their morale will crumble to dust. Their armies will be a headless gundark. The people and the spineless Senate will demand a truce.

Hadranus: What of the Bota fields? Shouldn't I use limited engagements? The medicinal properties have been phenomenal.

Grievous: The Bota plants are no longer a concern. Let the Republic waste resources protecting them. This is an all out strike)

Hadranus: I understand.

(The cyborg's tone turns a bit nasty)

Grievous: I hope for your sake you do.......

Mu Shai: Failure at this juncture will be disastrous

Dooku: All is ready. I'm sending in Argente's 27th fleet to compensate any disadvantages.

(The young general turned to face them all)

Hadranus: I will end this war. We launch within the hour.

Dooku: Remember.....strike fast, put fear and suprise in their hearts.......they will not stand.

Hadranus: Yes, Master.

(Most of the images fade out, concluding the briefing. Grievous, last one to enter, is last one remaining. He still looks at Hadranus coldly)

Grievous: Understand this, *General*......

(Hadranus leans in to Grievous to listen, albeit reluctantly)

Grievous: You are an asset because you are a good tactician, but you are SOFT! There can be no mercy this time. NO PRISONERS! They must *all* die. If even ONE Jedi crawls back from Drongar........I'll have you patrolling the outer rim for Nerf herding pirates......WITHOUT ARMS OR LEGS!!!

(Grievous' images fades out. R5 whistles with a gloomy tone, Hadranus looks to his friends with a smirk)

Hadranus: Easy enough.

Nyssa: Shall I reprogram the droid protocols to kill all prisoners taken?

(There is along pause. The General's smirk becomes a grin)

Hadranus: No.

Nyssa: But.....you HEARD what he said would happen!?

Hadranus: Yes, he said I would be hunting pirates without arms or legs. Now really......how many armless, legless pirates do you suppose go rustling Nerf herds in the outer rim? I will have my cake and eat it too. We'll make this an easy surrender, and I won't earn a reputation for committing genocide.

(He exits the ready room with a mischievious skip in his step. Vlad chuckles, Nyssa shakes her head and exits)

Nyssa: Why must you constantly disobey the Council?

(She follows him out onto the bridge. Hadranus smiles yet has a bit of a squirm in his expression. He is caught between his fight for justice to restore the Republic and his nagging guilt of being a part of three long years of war. Droid 888 salutes as Hadranus walks by)

Hadranus: I'm not going "against" the council. I'm just doing the kind of job that they are unable or unwilling to do. If we win, you think we'll just blow off the Jedi? What will we do with the worlds who've been shoveling this shit at us for three years? You think they're going to just lie down quietly over the destruction we've caused? I need to make this a war worth winning for BOTH SIDES. End hostilities, unite us under a solid government free of corruption. Sometimes, that just means......well, modifying the orders.

(R5-D4, Hadranus' trusted droid companion, interrupts with some beeps and whistles)

R5: Vreep.

Hadranus: A signal malfunction?

(888 goes over to the main computer)

888: R5 has detected a signal anomaly in the engine core. Hm.....

Hadranus: What is it?

888: I think, for lack of a better analogy......the ship has the, uhhh, "hiccups".

(Hadranus looks at 888, then at the equally perplexed Nyssa, then back)

Hadranus: The.....'hiccups"?

888: I think so.

Hadranus: Well, let maintenance take a look. Get everything ready, we launch soon.

R5: Bee-bo bee-bo!

Hadranus: (smiles) You bet, little buddy. Keep up the good work.

 

(We cut to- The bridge of Grievous ship. Grievous backs away from the communication platform to face the blue image of Darth Sidious. The mysterious Sith Lord, who has watched Grievous' briefing while completely covered in robes, speaks darkly and quietly)

Sidious: Is everything set in motion?

Grievous: Yes. I have sent my covert team to the Emerald Sword. The explosives were placed within his engines several hours ago.

Sidious: Excellent. The meddling General will serve us one last time. He will end the war as a martyr, secure his legacy and rid us of many sniveling Jedi.

Grievous: When his engine core ruptures from the detonations, the planet's bota enriched atmosphere will be engulfed in a maelstrom of hyperdrive radiation. Nothing......but NOTHING will escape my final Judgement!

Sidious: I will step in and force a peace upon both sides....

Grievous: ...Which I will help along. The Sepratist Council will not oppose me, and Dooku will be a broken man when his Jedi Messiah is killed in battle. He will accept the peace or die by my hand. This, I swear!

Sidious: You shall be well rewarded for your contributions, General. YOU will be head of all the Republic's armed forces, second only to Anakin Skywalker once my plans are complete!

Grievous I am humbled by your generosity!

(Sidious' image fades away. Grievous breathes a little faster as he turns to a silver protocol droid next to him)

Grievous: Everything is moving smoothly. Time to start the THIRD phase in "Operation: Clusterfuck"! Send a signal to Anakin Skywalker!

(Grievous' minions open a channel. As they do this, Grievous pushes a button on his waistbelt, transforming him with hologram technology to look like Chancellor Palpatine. Anakin's blue image eagerly appears)

Anakin: Yes sir! I reported as fast as I could!

(Grievous' voice modifies itself to sound like Palpatine. The deception is complete)

Grievous: (palpatine voice) Good, very good, Master Jedi.

(POV cuts to Anakin, who watches the image of "Palpatine" from his post on Planet Iscandar)

Grievous: I trust your mission on Iscandar was a success?

Anakin: We kicked droid ass, sir! We found a cure for the radiation poison that infected the system, and we are reversing CIS control! I just wish Grievous was here so I could shove some double AA batteries up his b-

Grievous: -*cough*, yes, all good, I am certain. Anakin, my friend....

(Anakin is like putty at the notion of being Palpatine's lil buddy)

Anakin: Yes sir?

Grievous: I must apologize for such short notice, but I need you to make haste and report to Planet Drongar with the other Jedi high command. We believe the Emerald General will launch a major strike there. The Jedi will need your courage and help!

Anakin: Hmp, Dooku must be desperate to send THAT loser! I thought he was yesterday's leftovers after Geidi Prime.....

Grievous: It seems the Separatists are giving him a second shot at being their little God figure. I think it is time you showed them all who the REAL Chosen One is. Go now, to Drongar. A victory there will break Dooku and the Confederates!

Anakin: On my way!

(POV returns to Grievous in his hologram disguise. Anakin's image fades out to accomplish his mission. Grievous shuts off the hologram device and chuckles in his regular form and voice)

Grievous: (evil laugh) Damn, I'm good! Now....to clean up one or two more loose ends.......


	2. Reversal of Fortune Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jedi work to heal wounded soldiers and make strategy while resting on Drongar.

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE PART 2

 

(Scene cuts to- The Purple Plateau of Drongar, named due to the odd rock and soil coloring. POV pans over huge fields of bota crop, a fragile medicinal plant coveted by both sides. Beyond the fields are several shielded encampments. Many of these camps are mobile army surgical hospitals, or M*A*S*H* units. CU of one of the camps. all is quiet and casual despite the slightly cloudy weather. POV pans past a few plastisteel buildings. POV pans by several brightly lit operation rooms, showing several doctors and a few Jedi working on wounded clone troopers on tables. Barriss Offee, Thane Paleo-logus, and Lady Septime are among the healers. The warmth of the Force flows through their hands to reverse various injuries, internal bleeding, etc. POV pans by to a makeshift leathery tent, one with several Clone Commanders, various Republican Generals, such as Commander Bly and Tarpals, and Jedi Commanders Yoda, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Aayla Secura, Saesee Tinn, Shaak Ti, Kit Fisto, Luminara Unduli, and Obi-wan Kenobi. They are talking to the blue images of Mace Windu and Chancellor Palpatine)

Palpatine: The upstart, General Grievous, is making several strikes on our supply line near Boz Pity, but we have reason to believe it is a ruse to distract us from an invasion of Sollust in four days. Master Mundi, your reserves on Mygeeto could soften up their supposed invasion until we can regroup the 501st to push them out of that sector.

Mundi: Agreed. I can be ready in three days.

Palpatine: Our presence near Tatooine will no doubt scare off Gunray's battalions, just as we have done every time he rears his ugly head. General Secura's units will be close enough for that.

Luminara: Grievous is deadly, but predictable. Gunray is simply predictable. But what of Dooku's "Star Pupil", General Hadranus? We have not seen any activity from the Emerald Fleet for a number of months....

Obi-wan: Our sources tell us he's not Dooku's star pupil anymore.....

Palpatine: Quite right. The incident on Geidi Prime with the prison break has weakened him in the eyes of the Sepratist Command......Asajj Ventress is Dooku's newest prodigy.

(Obi-wan and Luminara exchange a brief glance. It was Conradin's mercy on Geidi Prime that saved the lives of thousands of clone troopers, along with Unduli's Padawan, Barriss)

Mace: Ventress will not be as lenient with us as the "Emerald General".

Obi-wan: No need to worry about her. Anakin has been hounding her footsteps since the second battle on Tythe all the way to Iscandar. We just might keep her at bay. We have reason to believe Anakin has chased her forces there.

Palpatine: That boy is making great strides, Master Kenobi. Hopefully, after he wraps up the mission at Iscandar, he will be at Sollust within three days. With a final strike, we can envelope and crush Grievous. Dooku's confederates will slink away or surrender. They won't have the stomach to finish this fight.

Mace: Sollust may be the final battle, if we play it out right. Make your preparations. We have three days to rendez-vous there to put an end to this conflict. May the Force be with you all

(The meeting ends. The commanders disperse to rest, meditate, or join the healers to tend to the wounded. Obi-wan and Luminara remain behind to contemplate this news)

Obi-wan: Conradin is quite the enigma. I sensed so much in him back on Coruscant before the war, and yet.....

Luminara: He has much confusion. As a warrior....he almost rivals your padawan, Anakin. If you don't mind my saying so. Still, his part in this war cannot be ignored.

Obi-wan: He is not completely lost. We CAN bring him back. His actions have spoken loudly. I cannot believe he is anything like Grievous.

Luminara: Of course he isn't. But if we are victorious at Sollust......the tribunals will begin. I can't see how he will not be punished....

Obi-wan: I disagree. His humanitarian efforts will put him in a good light. He did save Barriss and her troops from certain death. He DID foil the plots of the Sepratists that day......

(Luminara frowns)

Luminara: Which brings me to another point. His feelings......for Barriss.......

Obi-wan: I know. If I may sound cruel and callous......his feelings for Barriss will work to our advantage.

(She almost turns to him, shocked. But she stays silent)

Obi-wan: It may be those feelings that return him to our side.

Luminara: I don't like it at all. She is a Jedi, he is....

Obi-wan: ....A victim of circumstances. Even Ventress is a victim. We cannot give up on them. How is Barriss doing?

Luminara: Very well. She has recovered from much of the incident. I have felt apprehension of her being exposed to the dark side in such a manner. I also sense........

Obi-wan: Feelings? For Conradin?

(Luminara nods)

Obi-wan: As much as I shouldn't think it, her feelings may be an advantage as well.

Luminara: She is wise beyond her years. She has proven to be a great knight. I would not wish to see her become a "victim of circumstance"......

(They exit the tent. Obi-wan and Luminara watch as the wounded were taken to shuttles, destined for the medstar frigate. The surgeons take a break, heading over to the cantina. Luminara observed Paleologus and Septime)

Luminara: It is a shame that not all of Dooku's disciples joined with us. They have been extraordinary.

Obi-wan: At the rate they are going with the smaller assignments, the council may see fit to promote them, under extreme circumstances.

 

 

Cut to-int. Cantina

(POV pans to Septime, Paleologus, Ahsoka Tano, Maris Brood, Zett Jukassa and Barriss as they sit at a corner booth in a military cantina, ready to relax with mugs of soothing beverage)

Barriss: I am ready to sleep the day away.

Septime: Me too. That last batch wasn't so bad, though.

Barriss: Yea, we got most of the heavy cases taken care of fourteen hours ago when the reinforcements arrived.

Maris: Most of the heavy cases were fighting the clankers over in Sector B9!

(Maris visibly shudders)

Septime: I heard you and Master Shaak-Ti had to fight in that swamp. Is it full with the Dark side?

(Maris nods and looks down wearily. Zett stares at his drink in contemplation)

Zett: B9 must have been a place for the Sith in ancient times. It tempts you, just as it tempted Maris in the middle of battle. A horrible place....

Maris: The droids kept coming, and the Darkness called to me. Only thing that kept me from cracking was Master Shaak-Ti's inspiring presence......I hope we never have to go in there again.....

(The group is quiet as they eat and drink)

Ahsoka: This fizzy melange hits the spot after taking out a whole droid battalion...

Barriss: You did very well. I can see Anakin has come a long way training you.

(They are quiet for a few more seconds as they take sips of their drinks)

Paleo-logus: I'll say this much. I'd pay good money to see that Haako bastard brought to Coruscant in chains. We lost more than a few to those nerve agents near Sector C557. Where does one get the stomach to approve of these....weapons?

(They look down at their drinks, disgusted by the experience of seeing clone troopers disfigured and mutilated by the obscenity of chemical warefare. The silence becomes awkward)

Septime: I read the reports on Anakin. He's singlehandedly freed three more worlds. That boy is incredible

Ahsoka: He's ok, as long as he stays focused.

Paleo-logus: He destroyed a droid factory on Naalol in the mid rim, made the Kessel run in 6 parsecs AND freed the Abkani from TechnoUnion tyranny. All within a twenty-four hour period. Spectacular stuff. Palpatine's own propaganda staff couldn't make this shite up......

Barriss: It makes me uncomfortable, in a way....

Septime: Why is that?

Barriss: We fought together with Obi-wan and Luminara on Ansion. We achieved a highly difficult goal of ceasing hostilities between the warring cultures living there. We four Jedi had to defeat two warring armies......without killing ANY of them. Anakin was a superb fighter. But....

Ahsoka: There's always a "but".....

Barriss: He lets this whole "Chosen One" myth go to his head. He was enjoying the fight too much. I sense that from him whenever we are in combat. He thinks he's invincible, and what's worse is that he acts like this is all a game.

(Maris looks at Zett. They frown)

Maris: You know, I heard that Master Sifo-Dyas lied to the council about his age. He became a Jedi by cheating....

Zett: I can't stand how he makes it all look so easy.

(Zett takes a drink. Maris looks down, feeling a little bad for gossiping)

Maris: Well.....saving the Nelvaanians was no easy task, I suppose....but it bothers me that the Council gives him all the easy treatment. After all, we have helped in this war as well!

Zett: .....I mean, here I am, busting my butt to keep up with training and he can do it all with his eyes closed. I wouldn't mind so much if he didn't rub it in with the rest of us.....

Paleo-logus: All things considered, I can't imagine anyone else doing a better job.....

(Paleo-logus and Septime look at each other, contemplating that statement. Ahsoka finishes her drink, Barriss sensed more awkwardness and sighed)

Barriss: At least Conradin knows his limits. and "if" he were the so called "Chosen One", he'd take it more seriously.

Septime: You're right. I hope it is not too late to bring him back to our side.

Paleo-logus: I believe it's possible. Look at Quinlan Vos. He was practically in Dooku's hip pocket, and we brought him around.

Barriss: I know.....but for every "Quinlan Vos", there's a "Sora Bulq".......

Septime: Don't worry. I can sense that you worry too much when his name is brought up.

(Offee takes a big gulp of her drink)

Barriss: Am I *that* obvious?

Ahsoka: (grins) Your nonchalance is paper thin. You got a bad case of the fuzzies when his name is mentioned

(Barriss looks at her quizzically, mouthing "fuzzies" in the form of a question)

Paleo-logus: There's no shame in it. One of Dooku's teachings to us was that Emotional bonds were an advantage, not a hinderance. I think that's where the conventional Jedi dogma fails. Our bonds of friendship unite us, make us stronger. THAT'S why he spared you and your men on Geidi Prime. It's why he nearly sacrificed himself on Foz Kooriva. Conradin's problem is he's too loyal to admit that Dooku is wrong. He can't break away from the one person who has protected him his entire life.

Barriss: But the hinderance is not in the bond itself, but jealousy and possession of the love, the fear of losing that love. It is that fear which may lead him to the darkside. If he hasn't fallen already.

Septime: That won't happen. I knew him for a long time before the war. We were never as good as Dooku with our disciplines, but we quickly came to understand teamwork, and putting the group above personal glory.

Ahsoka: Droid! We need another pitcher of melange!


	3. Reversal of Fortune Part 3

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE PART 3

 

Cut to- Ext. view of the Emerald Sword

(POV follows the blind Jedi, Vlad, as he walks diligently towards the conference room. He enters, but is startled to see Aviva waiting for him)

Vlad: Oh...hey....

Aviva: Vlad....

(Vlad smiles and blushes, thinking this to be one of their secret "practice sessions")

Vlad: We are still on duty. I don't think the officers would appreciate-

Aviva: This is not about fooling around. We need to talk.

Vlad: About what?

(The is a short pause. CU of Aviva as she sits on the edge of the table and looks at him)

Aviva: The war for us will be coming to an end soon. We need to think about the future. Where will we go after all this?

Vlad: Vee, we don't know how long the war will last. It could be years, it could be over tomorrow...

Aviva: You don't understand....and I don't know how to tell you....things are changing, my time as a Jedi are running out.

Vlad: What do you mean?

Aviva: *sigh*......I'm pregnant.

(Vlad is suprised, and scared, and yet filled with excitement)

Vlad: What do you think we should do?

(She looks up at him, somewhat elated by the question)

Aviva: Dooku would never approve if he found out.

Vlad: Dooku stopped worrying about us a long time ago. What we do will not matter.

Aviva: Desertion is punishable by death.

Vlad: Why desert?

Aviva: I will not raise a child in the shadow of war.

Vlad: We may not have a choice!

Aviva: I'm quitting the Sepratist cause soon.

Vlad: Wh-...? Quitting? We can't just leave!

Aviva: Vlad...

(She goes to him and wraps her hands around his waist)

Aviva: Dooku would never allow us to do this while we are at war, and we cannot let this child grow up to be a part of the war.

Vlad: It will take time to prepare, and yet...we don't have time. We go on the offensive soon.

Aviva: Then we must leave sooner.

Vlad: You've got to have faith! Conradin has hardly lost a battle, certainly not on a sleepy planet like Drongar.

Aviva: We can't keep doing this. Sooner or later the risk becomes greater and greater, we've had so many close calls. I'm not going to wait for that.

Vlad: Wait until after Drongar. If we win, we can slip away while Dooku goes to Coruscant in victory. If we lose...I will have an escape shuttle programmed to take us where no one will ever find us.

(They stare at each other)

Aviva: I do appreciate you asking it...

Vlad: Asking what?

Aviva: What "we" should do.

(They are quiet for a moment as he reaches for her and holds her tight)

Vlad: I am with you in all things.....now until the day I die.

 

(POV pans away to the bridge. Conradin speaks with Magistrate Passel Argente on the screen)

Passel: We will make hyperjump to meet you at Drongar shortly, general.

Hadranus: Let's hope it will be enough, Passel. You'll be up against Commander Savva of the Republic and Ramses' Southern Cross fleet.

Passel: With you in the lead, it will be enough. The profits we will acquire from this victory will be enormous!

Hadranus: Let's not get carried away with money just yet. Once we secure the war's end, we will have to be ready for the rebuild effort-

(Passel, once a fellow Senator and friend to Conradin, seems more preoccupied with his own interests as he waves off the General's concerns)

Passel:-Yes, yes, of course. We'll let Nute Gunray deal with the expenses of this merger. To VICTORY, Emerald General! And more money than you can dream of!

(Passel fades off screen with glee. Hadranus just bows his head, disappointed and disillusioned. But goes back to work)

Hadranus: You hear that, three-eights? Time to make more money than you can dream of.

(888 tilts his head)

888: I don't know about dreams, but I can calculate a lot of currency for upgrades....Like a new "iCore-64" processor or a himetusite modulator.

(Some of the droid bridge crew nod to each other in agreement)

888: You know what I'd do with a lot of credits? Buy a new head model. This bowling-pin cranial mod is too restrictive.

(Hadranus almost laughs out loud, but stops himself. He just looks at 888 with a weird smile)

 

CUT TO- EXT. DARK SITH WORLD

(Plagueis sits on his bloodied throne in horrible splendor. He contemplates dark thoughts while the congregation quietly chants. Distant screams and rattling chains wail through the darkness)

Plagueis: Time is running out....and our world is dying.

(He looks up at the bleak, decayed sun that grows fainter with time)

Plagueis: It is almost too late!

Congegation: TOO LATE!

Plagueis: My young son was to have defeated Sidious and welcomed us back into the galaxy as conquerors, but he has been soft....

Congregation: TOO SOFT....

Plagueis:We must move things along if we are to bring eternal control to the galaxy. I must MAKE Conradin see that his future belongs to me!

 

 

 

 

 

CUT TO- Int. Hadranus room. He is lying on his bed, resting. Something reaches out to his subconcious as the room grows dark)

Plagueis: (VO) Conradin....

(We enter Hadranus' dream. It is as if he were astrally summoned to the dark Cenobite world. Plagueis sits on his bloodied throne, waiting)

Plagueis: My son....

Hadranus: Ugh.....I'm dreaming, aren't I?

Plagueis: Maybe. But even so, I need to speak to y-

Hadranus: -You know, since this is just a dream, I can do what I want and say what I want. So, from the bottom of my heart, kiss my ass. Just kiss my sweet-

Plagueis: -Charming as your defiance is, I assure you I am not amused. You must come to accept your rightful place by my side. My patience with this endeavor is coming to an end.

Hadranus: You're breaking my heart.

(Plagueis gets up and walks towards him)

Plagueis: Our world was cast out of the galaxy when Sidious disrupted the ritual that created you from the purity of the Force.....Our planet and its sun were cast out into the emptiness between galaxies. The sun grows further away and has lost its life giving energies. Soon, the servants of Leviathan will die if we do not reclaim our place in the galaxy. Sith culture will die forever. I cannot let this happen!

Hadranus: That is the way of nature itself. Sooner or later, everything dies. I consider Achilleas my true home, but I know that one day that world will also die out.

Plagueis: I do not subscribe to your stoic Jedi bullshit! I intend to win the eternal game of life and death, I intend to achieve total power with you!

Hadranus: I hate to burst your bubble, but it isn't going to happen. I'd choose death over serving you. I choose it now and I'll choose it tomorrow. And I'll still choose it a week, a month, a year from now. I've got things to do, so if you'll excuse me....

(Hadranus wakes himself up, and fades from view. Plagueis watches quietly, then turns to go back to his throne and sits)

Plagueis: Sunaj.....

(He has called out a name. A deformed acolyte steps up. He wears a black robe, with a head shaped like a pig, but his form is shadowed by the darkness)

Sunaj: My lord....

Plagueis: We must become devious. My powers wane as our world dies. We must act soon. Our sun dies, and Our world is becoming a cold tomb in the depths of space....

Sunaj: We must convert him. At all costs.

Plagueis: I will send you. We must fill his heart with the darkness, with hopelessness. For only when he has lost all hope, lost all that he loves, will he become ours again. When his heart is dark, open a new gate for us....so that we may re-enter the galaxy and destroy Sidious once and for all!

Chorus: DESTROY SIDIOUS!

(CU of Sunaj''s twisted face. A scar remains from the wound he received from Vlad so many years ago)

Sunaj: I will break him! He will appreciate the life you have given him.....

(Sunaj is given a puzzlebox and exits into the darkness. POV returns to Plagueis. Scene fades)

 

CUT TO- DRONGAR REPUBLIC CAMP, NIGHT TIME

(Barriss stands by the edge of the camp and watches the sky. Their are various clone troopers in the camp walking by in the BG with a confident casual attitude. Master Unduli, her mother, walks up behind her. Barriss becomes slightly uncomfortable, but smiles)

Barriss: Master, you're just in time. The last shade of the sun can be seen on the horizon. The bota pollen gives off a reflective light in the sky. A beautiful aurora borealis.

Luminara: Yes, I have meditated to its wonderful colors every chance I get.

(Luminara feels uncomfortable, but also smiles. Together, they keep their secret of being a mother-daughter team in the Jedi order, an order that forbids such relations)

Barriss: There's no need to be ashamed, Master.

Luminara: *Sigh*, Barriss, you are wise beyond your years and you have...

(Luminara's maternal side gets irritated)

Luminara: I can't stand talking like that anymore. I wish you could call me Mother.....just once...or I wish you would just get angry about it! Qui-gon and I kept you in the dark. The least you can do is try to throw a tantrum about it like young Skywalker. This cold wall of silence about it is painful.

Barriss: It is not a wall of silence. It is acceptance of what is. Your feelings are an open book.....Mother.

Luminara: It sucks to be a Jedi. I can't be like Windu every hour of the day.

(Barriss smiles a bit, realizing that her mother is not a cold stoic Jedi like some of the others)

Barriss: I was shocked, even angry, when Dooku told me. Angry at him, you, everything. But I also realize the pain you and....father went through. It's not a cold silence that keeps me quiet, Master. But a call to duty above my personal feelings. I unleashed a lot of frustrations while on other missions, fighting my anger with my discipline. As much as Dooku infuriated me....I did not want to lose control. I certainly don't want to be bitter like Dooku....or Skywalker. There is nothing to regret, Master. No need for apologies. I am my mother's daughter, and a Jedi in all things. Though I must call you "Master", you and Qui-gonn have given me what other Jedi do not have.

Luminara: You are a worthy Knight, destined for great things. Damn, there I go again.....

Barriss: -(laughs quietly) It's alright. Old habits die hard. And I can sense what you are trying to say. I can almost feel Qui-gon's presence with you....

Luminara: You carry a lot of his stubborness....and his goodness in you.

(They hug)

 

CUT TO- INT. CONRADIN'S ROOM.

(Conradin wakes up, feeling disturbed, trying to figure out if what he saw was a vision, just a dream, or something else. He gets out of his bed and goes over to his screen. He summons up the blue image of Count Dooku)

Dooku: What is your status, Commander?

Hadranus: Everything is on schedule. We shall be engaging Republic forces within a few hours.

Dooku: I sense something troubles you.

(Conradin hesitates)

Hadranus: I'm not sure....how I can explain. I feel I am going in a direction that could be bad for all of us.

Dooku: You are going in the direction of victory. For all the woes that have befallen you....I have seen you do wonderful things.

Hadranus: I am haunted by my origins, haunted by the possibility that I am influenced by the sith. I've had visions warning me that my destiny could be altered. I try to stay on the true path of a jedi, I try to remember all you have taught me. I fear that I may fail and lose sight.

Dooku: Nonsense! Sidious has no control over you. He's too busy pulling puppet strings for Anakin. You are better. These visions....they will pass in time. You must believe, and let your feelings guide you. This victory will wipe away the slate of your past transgressions with the Sepratist council.

Hadranus: Will the Council bring a better way to the Republic once this war is over?

Dooku: (frowns) We've had this discussion before, and I have made the point clear.

Hadranus: I fear we have become part of a darker future-

Dooku: -Stop, Hadranus. Your doubts will cloud your mind, and distract you from the task at hand. Our only concern is the complete and total takeover of the Republic, and to make the people realize you are the greatest of the Jedi. Anything less is unacceptable! Stop thinking about your dreams and focus on your job. Unfocused thinking creates bad judgement. I had to pull a lot of influence with the council to not have you executed for your bad judgement on Geidi Prime! We cannot afford a setback like that again.

Hadranus: Yes, Master.

Dooku: Yoda will see that his faith in young Skywalker has been a tragic blunder. He will be so humiliated, he will step down and I will take over...

(Hadranus frowns as Dooku talks in a dark tone, talking without realizing what he is truly saying)

Dooku: ...I will reshape the Jedi in my own image, and YOU will punish those who defy us with your divine power! The galaxy will be lovingly snatched from the jaws of chaos and molded into a new shape by our control. A control that will last for all time.

Hadranus: (quietly) Yes, Master....

(Dooku's image fades away. Conradin realizes it was a mistake to seek guidance from his teacher. He shakes his head and walks out. POV stays focused on the empty room. After a few seconds, it grows colder and darker. Sunaj appears from the shadows and looks around. He quietly moves out of the room)

 

CUT TO- A secret bunker on Iscandar

(Assajj Ventress is looking over plans and maps, trying to figure out her next move. A signal activates on the communication panel. She looks up and sees Grievous' image)

Ventress: General Grievous.

Grievous: I trust you are well, despite the defeat on Iscandar.....

Ventress: We are NOT defeated! I need more ti-

Grievous: -I am not interested in the status of Iscandar. I have a new mission for you.

(She straightens up at his interruption and listens)

Ventress: Yes, sir?

Grievous: You are to infiltrate the Republic base of operations on Planet Drongar. At this moment, I am putting that whole system under a communications blackout. There will be no messages going in or out until our goals have been achieved! We have recieved reports that Anakin Skywalker has left Iscandar to rendez-vous with his mentor, Obi-wan Kenobi. I want you to use Anakin to lure Kenobi into a trap. Eliminate them both and any other Jedi that crosses your path.

Ventress: It will be a pleasure!

Grievous: Remember, Both sides will be in a communication blackout. You are on your own.

(Grievous' image fades. Ventress smiles and marches out to her ship)

 

CUT TO- The Hangar, minutes later

(Hadranus enters to survey the ships, trying to forget about the anxious butterflies he's feeling. Something isn't right. He looks past all the maintenance droids, spotting Vlad by one of the shuttles. Curious, he goes over to him. CU of Vlad. The blind Jedi has been prepping the shuttle for himself and Aviva to make a fast getaway. He stops and curses under his breath, sensing Conradin coming up to him from behind)

Hadranus: What are you doing, Vlad?

Vlad: Just tinkering.

Hadranus: Well, you won't be needing to worry about this shuttle. I'm going to need you with the assault troops of the second wave below the hangar bay.

Vlad: Conradin....

Hadranus: Yes?

Vlad: Are we going to win this? I've got a bad feeling.....

Hadranus: (looks at him) You were thinking of cut-and-running?

Vlad: (sigh) Not really.....I just....don't worry, I'll go get with the second wave.

Hadranus: What's going on?

Vlad: I'm just tired and I think things are getting complicated.

(Hadranus gets irritated)

Hadranus: You and Aviva having a spat?

Vlad: Uhh-

Hadranus: -We don't have time for this! We gotta be sharp if we're going to win this. Don't mess with things in the hangar until it's time.

Vlad: What ever you say, Mr God.

(Hadranus stops and looks at him)

Hadranus: That's right, I'm the GOD! You want to be a snot about this, I can relieve you of command

Vlad: What's gotten into you?

(They stop and stare for a moment. Hadranus frowns)

Hadranus: Nothing. I'm too tense. Sorry about that. This war goes on and on, and the price gets ever higher. I want this to be the final battle. I'm tired of this shit....

Vlad: You've never let us down before. I can trust in that.

(He pats Conradin on the shoulder)

Hadranus: Come on, let's go

 

POV cuts to Nyssa's room, minutes later.

(CU of Nyssa. She is meditating when she suddenly feels a tremor in the Force)

Nyssa: (VO) The darkness is here....

(Her vision becomes vivid, and she finds herself running down a hall in the ship. The alarms are going off. She enters the engine room and rushes over to a glowing device. It has a timer on it, counting down)

Nyssa: We've been set up!

(CU of the timer, Grievous' bomb planted in the ship. It counts down to zero. The Bomb explodes in her face. At that moment, Nyssa snaps out of her meditation, realizing she has just had a vision of the future)

Nyssa: Sunuvabitch!

(She gets up to call the bridge, but is stopped by a creepy hand)

Sunaj: Time to play a game, Nyssa.....

(Nyssa screams, scene cuts to the Bridge, where a shiver has gone down Conradin's spine)

Hadranus: Something's wrong...R5?

(R5 turns and beeps with caution. Droid 888 walks up to him)

888: We've detected another life form entering the ship, but....I cannot calculate how-

Hadranus: -Put the ship on alert, but we launch on schedule.

(Hadranus exits the bridge, activating his communicator)

Hadranus: Vlad, we got Sith on board the ship.

Vlad: SITH?? Shit! How?

Hadranus: I don't know. They're squirrly bastards. I think Nyssa's in trouble!

 

 

CUT TO- Palpatine's office.

(Jar Jar Binks walks in. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine paces back and forth)

Binks: Yousa wantin to see me?

Palpatine: Yes, Senator Binks. We have a small matter to resolve. It seem Boss Nass has refused to commit more resources to the war effort. He is, in fact, withdrawing gungan personnel and equipment from the front lines.

Binks: My been talking to him about this. Big Boss Nass.....he is stubborn. Big talky talky and gettin loopy loopy in his old age.

Palpatine: I am entrusting you with going back to Naboo. I want you and General Panaka to straighten out this problem....

(He gets closer)

Palpatine: .....by any means necessary!

(Jar jar Binks nods and grins. Jar Jar leaves. A signal comes in to Palpatine's office. It is a shaky image of Anakin)

Palpatine: (Suprised) Anakin! What a suprise-

Anakin: -Just reporting in that I am *fzzzz*-ing good time *Fzzz* *phhhzhhzzzz* Drongar in a matter of minutes...

(Palpatine's ears perk up)

Palpatine: Drongar? What are you doing going to Drongar?

(Anakin's image starts to break up)

Anakin: Connection*zzzzFFFFFZZZZZZZ* I'll contact as soo- *Fzzzz* on the planet-

Palpatine: No, Anakin, Don't go there. Turn around and STAY ON ISCANDAR!

(Anakin's image fazes out, leaving Palpatine confused, terrified....then angry)

Palpatine: No, Anakin, NO!! You ARE NOT TO-ANAKIN???? COME IN ANAKIN! FUCK!!!

(He looks on, realization hits him like cold water. His eyes glow red with near uncontrolled rage)

Palpatine: Grievous, you old cyborg bastard! I'll melt your balls down on Mustafar for this!!


	4. Reversal of Fortune Part 4

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE PART 4

 

CUT TO- Orbit of Drongar, EXT view.

(Several large Republic ships patrol the planet. Anakin's fighter zips out of hyperspace near several cruisers)

Anakin: Bingo!

(CU of R2-D2, nestled into Anakin's ship)

R2: Vreeep!

Anakin: That's right, buddy. Things are gonna be less boring here...

(Anakin patches in to the nearest cruiser)

Anakin: Republic Cruiser, this is Anakin Skywalker, requesting permission to land on Drongar...

(POV cuts to the bridge of Republic Cruiser. Several clone officers standby, along with several Jedi and regular human recruits. The Bridge officer, an older, wiser Nikael Savva, receives the call)

Savva: Permission granted, Master Skywalker. Good to see you in these parts...

(Savva grins. POV cuts to Anakin, who also grins)

Anakin: Savva! You old space pirate! How did you manage a promotion like this?

Savva: (VO) It's all in the smile. Along with months of officer school training.

Anakin: I feel better knowing you are up here.

(An explosion erupts next to him)

Anakin: ...the Frell?

(Assajj has exited hyperspace behind him and has stirred things up brashly, despite being surround by Republic forces. She opens a hailing frequency to him and grins)

Assajj: Ding dong, mother fucker!

Anakin: you have GOT to be kidding!

(Anakin takes evasive manuevers)

Savva: Ventress has got some serious balls dropping in the middle of us like this. Open fire on that enemy fighter!

(An officer walks up to him quickly)

Officer: Sir, there IS a danger. The fleet is too close to each other, and she is moving too fast. We'll be punching holes into the neighboring ships....

(Savva looks at him)

Savva: Damn! Launch fighters! I want Ventress captured or destroyed.

(POV watches several dozen fighters glide from the hangar bay to engage Ventress)

(CU of Ventress as she zeroes in on Anakin with her guns, guided by her Force enhanced targeting skill)

Ext view of her fighter as she fires at Anakin, nailing his engines!

(CU of R2 as he whines loudly and beeps in a panic)

Anakin: Ok, Ok R2! Don't panic, buddy. We'll have to make an emergency landing...

(Anakin's craft zooms towards the planet at full speed. Ventress breaks pursuit to turn around and launch missles at the clone fighters behind her. CU of clone pilot)

Pilot: WILD WEASELS!! TAKE EVASIVE MANUEVERS!!

(The clone fighters scramble as the missles, "wild weasels", lock on various targets and blast several ships. Ventress turns around and continues pursuit)

Assajj: Ok, Skywalker! Time to finish this once and for all!

 

 

 

Cut to-Int view of the Emerald Sword. 

(Sunaj hooks up Nyssa to a hyperdrive coupling in the engineering section. His hands secrete some strange organic gel that connects her to the equipment. Nyssa wakes up)

Nyssa: Oh GROSS! What the frell are you doing?

Sunaj: We are going to play a game, Nyssa Arachna. The fluids binding you to the engine are millions of symbiotes of my own design, making you an organic part of the machine, to channel your Sith energies with the power of the Emerald Sword's engines.

(She stares at him, unable to comprehend his plan)

Sunaj: Our Sith world is dying. The sun will give off the last of its energies, and our world will become a cold tomb in the void between galaxies. Our Sith brethren will die unless they can escape. Your sith powers will open a portal to this world, and we will take over the ship.

Nyssa: You are nucking futts!

Sunaj: It will not be a pleasant procedure, but you will survive. Alas, however.....the portal will drain all your sith powers. It will sever your connection with the Force. You can prevent this by activating the detonator I give to you

(Sunaj puts a thermal detonator in her hand)

Nyssa: You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!

Sunaj: The choice is yours, Nyssa. The detonator has been activated, but will deactivate as soon as your powers are converted to the engine to open the gate. Hold it tightly, and you will live to open the gate, and be freed by your new Sith Masters. If you choose to deny my Master, you can let go, and be destroyed. You will, of course, destroy the ship and your friends with it.

(She looks at him for a moment, then moves her hand slightly)

Nyssa: I choose death as a Jedi-

(She prepares to release the detonator, but Sunaj grabs her hand and secretes more gel, gluing the detonator to her hand)

Nyssa: Oooh, YOU MOTHERFU-

Sunaj: You are brave and noble in ways I had not anticipated, sith witch. You would choose a noble death, and I admire that. However.....

(He walks away to prepare the gate)

Sunaj: ...for argument's sake, let's pretend you decided not to.

 

Cut to- Ext view of planet surface

(POV pans across a lush field of bright flora, up to the Republic base camp. POV closes in on Obi-wan as he recieves a distress call from Anakin)

Anakin: Master Kenobi, I have been relocated to meet you on Drongar, but it seems Ventress has followed me in a desperate gamble.

Obi-wan: What's your situation?

Anakin: Oh, the usual. Ventress is trying to kill me. She's blasted my stabilizers. I'm headed for a swampy patch in sector B9

Obi-wan: Oh Frak!

Anakin: I suspect that is not good news!

(R2 is off screen, but Obi-wan hears the droid beeping in a panic. Luminara and Barriss walk with Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura in the BG as Kenobi starts to look concerned)

Obi-wan: You are entering a quarantined zone. The Force is strong on this planet, but that quadrant has a sour dose of the dark side!

Anakin: (sarcastic) Ah, great!

Obi-wan: I'm on my way, maybe we can capture Ventress once and for all. There will be dark hallucinations there, and the darkness will try to test your boundaries.

Anakin: Pfft, master it will be a walk in the p-

Obi-wan: Anakin! Just stay focused, don't fall for the illusions. Trust in your training until I get there....

(Anakin begins to land, his communicator goes off. Obi-wan faces Luminara)

Luminara: Is Anakin alright?

Obi-wan: His craft is making a forced landing in B9 sector. Ventress is here!

(Quinlan gives a suprised look to his former padawan Secura)

Quinlan: Ventress here? By herself?

Secura: If I know Ventress, she won't need an army to complicate things on Drongar!

(Her face sours with concern. Barriss, now a fellow General, joins the huddle)

Barriss: We'll need to form a rescue party!

(Ahsoka pops up in the group)

Ahsoka: Master Skywalker needs me!

(The group is startled for a moment, but Obi-wan takes her aside)

Obi-wan: Ahsoka, I need you to stay here with Master Windu. Sector B9 is not for the faint of heart.

Ahsoka: But-

Obi-wan: We will get Skywalker. B9 is saturated with the darkside. You would not be fully prepared for the power that pulsates there. Wait for us here.

(Her face drops a little)

Ahsoka: Yes, Master.

(Obi-wan calls up Clone leader Rex on his communicator)

Obi-wan: Rex, assemble your men to form a parimeter around sector B9. Ventress has just entered our airspace!

Rex: (VO) Right away....

(Quinlan walks by the disappointed Ahsoka, patting her head with encouragement)

Quinlan: Maybe next time, short round.

Barriss: We'll get him back. I promise....

(Obi-wan, Luminara, Barriss, Quinlan and Aayla hop on some nearby speeder bikes and take off. POV pans to Ahsoka as she thinks, then runs off)

 

 

CUT TO- INT view of the Emerald Sword

(Conradin Hadranus, Vlad and Aviva go down the corridors, sabres drawn and ready)

Hadranus: I sense a dark source near the back of the ship.

Vlad: This is crazy! How did the Sith get onboard?

Hadranus: This is a ship that has traveled multiple dimensions. Plagueis is obsessed with ruling the galaxy through me....he'd find a way.

Aviva: You realize they are probably using Nyssa as bait for a trap.

(The guys look at her grimly)

Vlad: I'm afraid so.....But it is a trap we must spring upon ourselves to save her.

Hadranus: I have an idea. I will scout ahead to the engineering sector....I want you guys to clear out this mid section of any hostiles.

Vlad: Has anyone noticed? We've walked down these halls for 15 minutes...and I haven't seen a single droid

Hadranus: It's your nerves. This is a big ship, and our droid personnel are doing their jobs at their stations.

(Hadranus opens a hatch, taking a side corridor. He turns to them)

Hadranus: Be careful, don't let them trick you or talk all that darkside nonsense. I'l try to find Nyssa and be back.

Aviva: We should go together-

Hadranus: Call it a hunch. Our destinies are on different paths at this point.

Aviva: That's a lame excuse.

Hadranus: Humor me. Besides.....if this whole thing goes sour.....You guys need to be near the hangar bay.

(He closes the hatch. Vlad and Aviva look at each other apprehensively)

 

Ext view Sector B9, a dark swampy wooded area.

(An eerie dark haze surrounds the area, making it impossible to tell what time of day it is. It practically looks like the middle of the night here. Anakin makes a rough landing, jostling R2 as they splash in a sloppy puddle of marsh and mud. The cockpit opens up, and Anakin spots Ventress' fighter landing in the distance. He looks around and feels a chill up his spine as he looks around)

Anakin: R2, stay with the ship. I'll either find Obi-wan....or Ventress!

(R2 extinguishes various small fires on the craft as Ani moves about. He can hear the dark whispers of the darkside calling to him)

 

(POV cuts to Ahsoka as she enters the Jedi barracks. Maris Brood, Zett Jukassa, Septime and Paleo-Logus are meditating on soft chairs, but snap from their thoughts to face the padawan trying to catch her breath)

Septime: Ahsoka?

Ahsoka: Master Skywalker's in trouble! He's been forced to land in B9!

Septime: Frak!

Paleo-Logus: Oh dear....We must inform Master Wi-

Ahsoka: Uhhh, there's no time!! We need to go!

Maris: NO! Not B9!!! You don't know what is out there!

Zett: Anakin's in trouble, Maris.....

Maris: I have felt the dark out there, calling at me....Shaak-Ti kept me safe. If we go out there-

Ahsoka: Maris....

(The padawan grabs Brood's hand with confidence)

Ahsoka: MY strength will be your strength...and yours will help me as well. We have to save him.

(Maris frowns, but feels more comfort when Zett gets close)

Zett: I will be right by your side.

(They hurry to some more speeders and zoom away)

 

Cut to- The perimeter of the dark sector B9

(Rex brings about his troops at the edge of the bordering terrain. Obi-wan leads the other Jedi up to the edge, hovering on their bikes. Rex turns to him)

Rex: (saluting) General Kenobi!

Obi-wan: Rex, we'll go in and extract Anakin and Assajj Ventress. If she tries to slip out, try to take her alive.

Rex: Yes, sir!

(Obi-wan smiles)

Obi-wan: Call me cautious. I'm sure Anakin is ok, and I trust he will defeat the demons that plague B9....but I'd rather be safe about this. Plus, I can use all the help I can get taking in Assajj Ventress. We'll split up to cover more ground. Barriss, go with Master Unduli to the west.

Quinlan: Aayla and I will scout out the far north....

Obi-wan: We will all meet closer to the center. report in as soon as you spot Anakin or Ventress.

(The Jedi split. Luminara waits until the others split away as she looks ahead at Kenobi)

Luminara: Frankly, I think the greatest irony would be for Ventress to be conquered by the very darkness she attempts to control.

Obi-wan: She is strong in the dark, but I have sensed something better from her. We may be able to save two people today.....

 

CUT TO- INT VIEW of the Emerald Sword

(Vlad and Aviva slowly walk down the halls. They do not talk, but glance at each other occasionally. The doors close around them, sealing them suddenly in a section of hallway. A gas is unleashed in their small prison. Sunaj is heard laughing over an intercom)

Sunaj: Vlad Pharis and Aviva Motaru.....Are you ready to play a game?

(Vlad coughs a little from the gas, but he looks at Aviva. Both of tehm appear to be ok)

Vlad: Do I have a choice....Sunaj?

Sunaj: (chuckling) I'm flattered you remember me, after all these years.....I, of course, remember you. You've been wandering around in circles, without a clue, without your leader who has deserted you! The gas you are breathing in is lethal. It will kill you in less than thirty minutes. There is only one cure.....

Aviva: Pray I don't find you, Sunaj.....

Sunaj: So close to victory and yet so far! Your only chance of survival is to inject yourselves with the serum that will negate the poison.

Vlad: Where is the serum?

(The doors all suddenly open. They are freed to play Sunaj's sick game)

Sunaj: Unlike most Sith, I perfected more organic powers of my own body with the darkside! Poisons, symbiotes, even living nanos born of the darkside of the Force! Your syrum is the essence of the darkside that reside in your friend Nyssa. Nyssa is currently in the back of the ship....

(A door opens up down the hall. The two Jedi go to it. Inside the room is a table with two syringes. Sunaj continues)

Sunaj: You have just over 25 minutes to use the specially designed syringes, use them to draw out essence of dark power from your Sith witch friend....Her essence will save you, but the syringes will kill her. It is a choice of letting Nyssa live, or surviving the agonizing effects of the poison....It's your choice.

(Vlad touches one of the syringes, then tips his head. Blindfolded his whole life, Vlad still can sense something, as if he can hear a signal)

Aviva: I'm not playing this game!

Sunaj: Then you will die...and so will your bastard child.....

(CU of Vlad as he remains calm, even with this callous comment. He looks to a nearby wall)

Vlad: You lose, Sith!

(With a quick signal to Aviva, They leap to the wall and take their sabres to it, striking it down. With rapid strikes, they carve a hole to the next room. The masked figure known as Sunaj has no time to react)

Sunaj: Wha-

(Sunaj activates a lightsabre, but Aviva screams as she launches herself at him. It is the fury of a woman whose child has been threatened. Sunaj's skill with a sabre is decent, but his overconfidence exposes his lack of training, relying on guile and schemes rather than the living Force. After a few clashes, Aviva deftly burns Sunaj's kneecaps with her blade. As he collapses in pain, she gives another Amazonian yell and cuts off his hands, rendering him harmless and vulnerable. Sunaj's tune changes very fast)

Sunaj: WAIT!! Mercy! I can lead you to Nyssa and save you!

Vlad: (calmly) No need...You see, we are a lot stronger since your kind last fought with us. You must have thought you were still dealing with a bunch of reckless amatuers.

(He casually walks over to the syringes and takes them. He walks back and leans into Sunaj's ear)

Vlad: I was not going in circles because I was a rookie. I could sense your foulness and waited for you to make the first move. You did....finding you was easy after that.

Aviva: (sneering) Beating you was even easier!

Sunaj: You will die without Nyssa's essence!

Vlad: The darkside is the darkside, wether it resides in Nyssa....or a creature like yourself.....

Sunaj: I AM UNARMED!! YOU CANNOT KILL ME! It will be murder!

Vlad: Your whole body is a weapon...you admitted it yourself....

(Vlad jams the syring into Sunaj's neck, causing him to shriek in fear and pain. Sunaj trembles as he feels his powers drain)

Vlad: I am merely destroying a weapon.....and saving the life of my wife and child.....

(He slams the other syringe into Jigsaw harshly. The Sith screams one last time)


	5. Reversal of Fortune Part 5

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE PART 5

 

CUT TO EXT. view of The swamp

(A hazy darkness surrounds the area. Anakin quietly makes his way through the brush. He stops and listens. All is quiet. He suddenly lights up his sabre and leaps up behind himself, landing in front of Ventress)

Anakin: You gotta get up pretty early in the morning to pull a fast one on me!

Asajj: I would have been disappointed if you had not noticed me.....

(She lights up her sabres and screams into a charge. They clash furiously for a few seconds in the muddy terrain. He pushes her back, causing them both to catch their breath)

Asajj: I feel you weakening here. You may be able to hold me off now, but this place drains you and strengthens me!

Anakin: Give it your best shot!

(They charge again, blazing flashes of red and blue sparking in the haze. She twirls her sabres like batons as she jumps. Anakin leaps away to dodge her strike, then leaps back at her. He pounds away at her parying blades, but she starts to push back. Anakin almost grimaces with a little exhaustion, but hides it with a smile)

Anakin: I see you've studied Dooku's fighting techniques, nearly mastered them....

(She grins as she twirls the blades in showiness. Catching her at a cocky moment, Anakin smirks)

Anakin:.....But then, his style is for beginners!

(Ventress grimaces, unleashing all her anger into another charge)

Asajj: Dooku is a great man!

(She assaults him with a whirling pattern of strikes, but Anakin blocks all her attacks, making her use up more effort)

Anakin: Yeah, great at getting you killed! Sending you to a planet to attack all the Jedi!

Asajj: I'm not fighting the other Jedi yet!

(She waves a hand, creating a mud attack with the Force, blinding Anakin for a moment)

Asajj: After killing you, even Mace Windu will be easy!

(Blinded, and somewhat covered in dirt, Anakin manages to let his sabre do the fighting while he wipes his face off. He does a roundhouse to push her back, then countercharges)

Anakin: Be careful trying to best me, little girl! There's a steep learning curve!!

(She grows angry as he chuckles. His attacks push on her as she struggles with the slippery ground)

Asajj: Arrogant bastard son of a slave BITCH!!

(Now Anakin becomes angry. The darkness begins to harness the anger in his heart, an anger that has, thus far, been masked by his overconfidence. They trade several strikes. Anakin leaps forward. Asajj slips a little, becoming vulnerable, but Anakin does not swing his blade. Toying with her as she regains her footing, he kicks her in the gut, then punches her in the face. Ventress is stunned by the attack and just stares at him)

Anakin: Your move, little girl!

Asajj: STOP CALLING ME THAT!!

(Ventress shrieks like a banshee, but he just laughs as she swings in a berserker rage. He fights her with ease as her screams fill the swamp. Finally, he sticks his hand out dramatically and launches her back into the shallow slimy water. Her energies spent, rage unsated, she struggles to get up. Anakin calmly walks towards her, flexing his sabre arm with relish. His eyes slightly glow red as he prepares the killing strike)

Anakin: The Jedi code normally allows you a chance to face the Justice of the Republic.......IF you were fighting one of the other Jedi...But I guess it's like you said....

(She looks up at him in shock as he raises his blade high)

Anakin: You're not fighting "other" Jedi.......

(He almost unleashes his rage upon her, when another scream catches his ears. It sounds like Qui-gon Jinn)

Qui-Gon: (Voice) No, ANAKIN! NO!!

(Another scream catches him off guard. It is the screams of Padme)

Padme: (voice) ANAKIN!!!! HELP ME!!!

Anakin: PADME!!!

(He looks down at Ventress, who is frozen in fear. He sneers, but turns away as Padme's terrified screams. He leaps away, leaving Ventress in the dark haze)

 

 

(Cut to- Overhead POV of Barriss and Luminara as they walk from their bikes to investigate the area. They sense life nearby. POV pans down and follows them)

Luminara: It sounded like a sabre fight. Anakin must be dueling Ventress! We must hurry.

Barriss: Agreed

Luminara: Be careful. This sector creates tricks, can fool the mind with noises that are not there.

(They exit a wooded area into a clearing. To their complete suprise, Darth Maul stands in the middle of the clearing, as if waiting for them)

Barriss: Impossible! YOU ARE DEAD!!! I defeated you....TWICE!!!!

Maul: (grins) You foolish girl. You have struck me down twice.....and made me twice as powerful!!!

Luminara: IT'S AN ILLUSION, Barriss!!!

(Maul leaps at her, swinging his traditional double bladed weapon at her. Barriss jumps back and parries his attacks)

Barriss: You have got to be kidding! HE FEELS REAL TO ME!!!!

Maul: I have waited an eternity from the black beyond to engulf your soul in my hate and power!!!

(He swirls up and over her, as if to repeat her killing attack that cut him in half on Naboo. Barris moves, but slips in the mud, all her momentum lost in one crucial instant. Maul lands and swings for the kill, but is struck down by Luminara. Maul's form glows red and vaporizes in an agonized second. He has missed another opportunity for revenge. Luminara helps Barriss up)

Barriss: Mom...it was REAL! I could sense him THERE!

Luminara: No...Not him entirely.....but just a shadow. A rare shadow. He could not harm you. Catch your breath, stay calm....

Barriss: Yes....

Luminara: In a way, you have defeated him a third time.

Barriss: I did nothing. I lost my step in this gorram mud! All my training, all my experience....and Maul still terrifies me.

Luminara: But you live. And you fought with peace in your heart despite his appearance. That alone is a victory over the Sith

 

 

(POV pans to another part of the haze. Ahsoka leads her gang through the thick malaise. Zett walks behind her with a concerned looka they trudge on. Maris Brood looks nervous, while Septime and Paleo-Logus bring up the rear.)

Zett: This place reeks of the darkside...

Ahsoka: We must stay on our guard.....

Zett: It's like mountain of blasphemy....

Septime: My senses are stopped up like a bad cold.

Zett: It's spread all over like spilt milk!

Ahsoka: Sh...

Zett: A MASS OF UNREPENTANT-

(Everyone turns to Zett, slightly annoyed)

Group: SHUT UP!

Ahsoka: Look!

(5 figures approach, lining up to face each of them. The figures are dressed in black robes and carry lit red sabres)

Zett: Great....it's the old "let's face our inner demons" test.....

Ahsoka: Huh?

(The dark figures attack. Everyone pose in a defensive stance and hold their line. Septime holds her opponent off, but cannot seem to push back her attacker. Maris and her fighter run wild around the field, trying to gain an advantage, but both stalemate each other with their skills)

(CU of Ahsoka's challenger. The figure pulls back the hood to reveal a darker Ahsoka, a shadow created by the powers of B9. Ahsoka is shocked, but Zett and Paleo-Logus fight their shadowy enemy for only a few seconds before soundly defeating their hooded attackers. Paleo-Logus smiles)

Paleo-Logus: He's right! They aren't real....just tricks of the mind, created by the darkside.

(Septime starts using unorthodox tactics with her sabre swings.....confusing her dark opponent until she, too, strikes down her shadow attacker. Maris struggles for a moment, but finally overcomes her fighter with an exhausted victory)

Maris: How did you know, Zett?

(He shrugs)

Zett: Master Windu made me take my final test here.....the old "dark version of yourself".......Oh, it scared the shit out of me at first....but after the 8th or 9th time....well, you get used to it....

(The dark version of Ahsoka smiles and waves at her. Ahsoka just smiles back as the last dark shadow turns and walks away)

Ahsoka: Mine doesn't seem too bad...

(The Shadow Ahsoka turns one last time to face her. It disappears as a large beast jumps out of the brush where the figure stood. The beast, a cat-like Nexu, leaps at Ahsoka with ferocious teeth and claws bared!)

Ahsoka: AAAAH!! THIS ONE'S REAL!!!!!

(The creature scratches her stomach, giving her a horrible wound. Zett and Maris leap to her and strike down the beastly Nexu as Septime pulls Ahsoka away)

Septime: Are you ok, Ahsoka!!??

Ahsoka: Mostly my pride! Ugh! I can't believe I wasn't paying attention!

(Zett breaks out his medkit quickly, he patches Ahsoka up and cleans the wounds)

Zett: We're heading back.

Ahsoka: But-

Zett: You guys are not quite ready for this, and I was foolish to let it happen. Come on, guys, we will get Ahsoka back to camp.

(Obi-wan steps out of the brush and gives them a stern look)

Obi-wan: That's the best choice you've made in this, Zett Jukassa.

(Everyone looks at him, feeling a sense of punishment, especially Ahsoka, for disobeying)

Obi-wan: I hope you have all learned that Sector B9 is not a laughing matter.

Ahsoka: Yes, Master Kenobi....

Obi-wan: Septime, take the others back before anyone knows you're gone.

Septime: Yes, Master.

(Obi-wan turns to Zett amnd puts a hand on his shoulder. Zett is a bit suprised)

Obi-wan: Can you give me a hand looking for Anakin?

Zett: Yes!

(Obi-wan gives a slight smile)

Obi-wan: Let's do this.

(Zett looks at the group one more time. Maris Brood looks back at him, suddenly admiring the fact that Kenobi has asked for his help)

Zett: You ok, Maris?

(She turns to him, a little more confident)

Maris: I am, Zett. Thanks. You know......you were always the butt of everyone's laughter after Anakin told us how you got tricked by that hypnotist.....

(Zett frowns, remembering how that prank backfired over Geonosis. He has always struggled since to earn respect)

Zett: Yeah, well I guess I'm an easy target.....

Maris: The Jedi have all underestimated you. May the Force be with you....

(She rushes back to him and kisses him quickly. She smiles a little and walks with the others. Zett feels his own confidence grow. He is feeling a level of respect that has often eluded him)

 

 

 

(Cut to Anakin as he rushes through the haze)

Anakin: PADME!!! PADME!!!

(He enters what feels like the thickest, darkest part of the territory. He senses a dark heart in this place. He comes across the bodies of his mother and Padme. Though the bodies are illusions, they are almost as real as he is. Their ghostly voices call out to him angrily)

Schmi: I was killed by your lack of skill! How could you abandon me!?

Padme: I was dying...the pain was too much!!! WHERE WERE YOU!!!???

(Anakin feverishly tries to clear his mind, but Padme's cries only agitate him more)

Anakin: I CAN STILL SAVE YOU, PADME!!!

Padme: LIAR!!!

Anakin: No....no, I am the chosen one! I can bring you back!!!

(More figures step out to greet him. They are the Sith Lords, past present and future...)

Sidious: You can only save her by releasing your anger on those who hurt her

(Darth Nihilus and Darth Bane approach)

Bane: The power is yours to control.....if you choose to use it!

(A strange, horrible Sith steps forward, a sith wearing a dark breathing apparatus. Lord Vader)

Vader: Your destiny is not yet complete. You need only take a few more steps to the dark....

Anakin: No! I am a Jedi! I can defeat you!

(Padme screams. Anakin turns to see Count Dooku hovering over Padme, who crouches in terror)

Dooku: You were never a match for me, boy! And now....the Senator DIES!!

(Dooku swings at her with his red blade, but Anakin leaps at him with a yell. They duel for a few seconds, but Anakin decapitates him with a vengeance. He stops and breaths heavily)

Padme: You saved me with your great powers....I sense so much flowing through you...

Vader: The power is yours.......soon, your destiny will be complete.

(Anakin becomes angry and turns to him)

Anakin: I can still defeat you!!!

(He charges at Vader, and swings. His blade strikes Vader in the face, destroying the mask and revealing his own face)

Vader: You cannot defeat me......I am the future.

(Anakin looks at his face in the bulky suit with horror. Vader and Padme laugh and slip back into the darkness. Anakin is now alone, but he can still hear the victorious laughter of the Sith and Padme)

 

 

 

(Cut to Obi-wan and Zett as they quietly work through tall weeds. Zett steps into a hole in the mud, sinking to his knee. As he struggles to get out, Obi-wan gives him a hand with a wry smile)

Obi-wan: How did you ever survive Windu's tutelage with such clumsiness, General?

Zett: It was luck, I think.....But he was a good master. I think I became a Knight by default...the war and all.

Obi-wan: In our business, there's no such thing as luck. You are a knight because Windu is a good teacher.....even if you are a bit clumsy.

(They grin for a moment, trudging through the haze. They hear a woman struggling up ahead of them. Obi-wan holds a finger to his mouth for them to be silent. They peek over a mound to see Asajj Ventress crawling through the murk. She cannot seem to get up on her own feet. She sneers angrily as she grabs at the ground with her hands to pulls herself forward. A voice calls to her, and she looks up to see a blue form. It is her old master, Ky Narec)

Ky: Asajj.....why do you crawl in the dirt? You must look to your heart and remove the burdens that weigh you down.

(Asajj gasps in terror at first, then in awe)

Asajj: YOU'RE DEAD!!! I saw you killed, Master!

Ky: Dead? Well...maybe physically, but my life has never dimmed in the truest sense.

(Ky's whimsical response becomes melancholy)

Ky: Asajj, my dearest Asajj. You cannot escape the darkness here until you escape the darkness in your heart.

(Ventress snarls)

Asajj: More platitudes! You are just an illusion created by this swamp!!

Ky: Not just a mirage, Asajj. I am your Master, one with the Force.

Asajj: THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!!?? Why do you come now? Are you a tormenting ghost?? You were murdered and I was alone!! The Jedi and the Republic left us to die!!

Ky: No! It was my destiny to pass on......but I failed to complete your training, failed to help you focus away from your fears and anger.

Asajj: Dooku has completed my training, and I am stronger now than ever.

Ky: Dooku has let his passions misguide him and you! You are going down a path that will only destroy you.

(Asajj's anger flares up again, tears flooding her face uncontrollably)

Asajj: He saved my life!! I only wish to avenge us on the Jedi who left us all to die! They abandoned us on Geonosis!! They even abandoned Dooku in his hour of need! WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO???

Ky: It is my failure, Asajj, mine alone. If only I had more time....you could have become a great Jedi Knight. The council could have accepted you if only-

Asajj: -They are blinded and soft!! WEAK!!! Dooku has shown me true power! And I intend to avenge you, my Master!! I will make them pay....

(Ky Narec frowns and sighs)

Ky: Then you have made your choice.....and I cannot stop it.

(Ky turns to go away. Ventress, sensing his disapproval, becomes desperate)

Asajj: MASTER!! Don't leave me!! I can't make it out of here!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!

(Ky looks back at her with sadness)

Ky: I will be with you always. I never truly left you. This place, it is a well of power for the Darkside, yet I am here not by MY power....but by yours. There is still a love in your heart for the light, but it grows so deathly faint. Choose love, choose peace. Let go of your anger and vengeance. I will be there, in your heart, if you open to the light....

Asajj: MASTER!!! I'M SCARED!!!

Ky: Trust in the Force. Let your foe become a friend. There is still a chance if you choose the light.....never fear.

(Ky Narec vanishes. Ventress reaches out to where he was. Tears start to pour from her face. CU of her face as she continues to crawl in despair. A hand reaches for her. She looks up and sneers as she sees Obi-wan attempting to help)

Asajj: I should have known it was all a JEDI TRICK!!

(She screams, using every ounce of dark will to pull herself up. She activates her sabres and strikes a wicked pose, but Kenobi just stands in front of her. Zett calls out from the mound)

Zett: MASTER!!!

(Obi-wan just looks at her calmly and continues to hold out his hand)

Obi-wan: Master Narec is right, you know. It's not too late.

Asajj: Not too late to destroy the high and mighty General Kenobi!!!

(She lunges to strike, but he moves away, refusing to use his own sabre)

Asajj: Fight me!!

Obi-wan: (calmly) No.

Asajj: FIGHT ME!!

(She lunges again, He jumps back)

Obi-wan: Ky Narec was more right than even I could have known. I sense it in you. The friendship you had with him, and the desire for justice.

Asajj: I will HAVE justice!

Obi-wan: Justice and revenge are not the same. If I fight you now....or ever again, I will be just as guilty of turning you to darkness as Dooku. I will not fight you.

Asajj: Then you will DIE!!!

(His calmness infuriates her, but her dodges all her attacks, jumping away, leap just past her reach. She cries and rages)

Asajj: DO NOT PLAY GAMES!!! You fight me NOW, OR I WILL TEAR THIS FUCKING PLANET APART!!!!!!!

(Obi-wan finally stops leaping. He looks at her as she gets ready for another charge. He sits on his kness in complete peace, looking at her with a serene calm)

Obi-wan: I am partly responsible for your anger and hate. Which means I am partly responsible for the many deaths at your hands, deaths I could have helped to prevent. I realize that now. I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you, Asajj Ventress. Do as you must.

(She is confused by his manuever, then angry as she suspects a trick)

Asajj: Don't be sorry! Just be ready to join Narec!!! DON'T you dare be sorry!!!! Fight like your brat Skywalker!!! SHOW ME YOUR TRUE HEART!!!!!

(She leaps to strike him down. He closes his eyes and prepares. Zett blocks her attack at the last second. Obi-wan does not move. She frowns and backs away. He opens his eyes and looks up at her. She stares back at him, confused, holding back angry tears)

Asajj: You MUST fight me!

Obi-wan: Never again.

Asajj: YOU...!!!

(She is stunned by his complete surrender from the violence she craves. CU of Obi-wan as he stands up and looks at her. A blue hand gently touches his shoulder. We do not see who it is, but he speaks only to Kenobi)

Qui-gonn: It's working, my old padawan. Your Heart is now stronger than ever. And it has affected her.

Obi-wan: I sense it. She is letting go.

Asajj: (hesitant) You are a fool, Kenobi!!!

(Their moment is interrupted by Master Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura, who enter the combat area with sabres ready. Ventress backs away, hesitating)

Quinlan: Looks like the party is just starting!

Obi-wan: No, it is ending.....Ventress has been searching for peace for a long time. I only wish I had not been blinded by pride and arrogance. I can help you achieve that peace. The fighting must end. Show us your true heart, the heart trained by Master Narec.....

(Everyone looks at Ventress, who snarls, but hesitates. Quinlan and Aayla stand with Zett and Kenobi. Ventress turns off her sabre, letting go of the dark glow in her eyes)

Asajj: ....Vengeance is all I have left....

Obi-wan: No. There IS another way.....

(She looks at him, his serenity almost appealing to her weariness. At the last second, she shakes it off, though her eyes stayed locked with his)

Asajj: You are pathetic and weak, Kenobi, and I will see you destroyed!! You were saved only by your companions....but we will meet again. Count your final days!!

(She leaps into the darkness. Everyone looks to Obi-wan, waiting for him to try to capture her. He stands there)

Aayla: She's escaping!!

Obi-wan: Not really.....Master-

(He turns to face Qui-gonn, but his Master is not there. He looks around for a second, then faces his companions. He wanders if it was an illusion.....his thoughts are interrupted by Master Unduli on his communicator)

Luminara: Master Kenobi, we have found Anakin! He is a little shaken, but ok.

Obi-wan: I want everyone to head back to the perimeter. I will be along shortly.

Zett: I've got a ba-

Obi-wan: -No, you don't! Just go, Zett.

Zett: Yes, Master.....You realize she WAS going to kill you.

Obi-wan: She hesitated, which means her anger is faltering. I needed to show her it was not a trick, so I risked death for her sake. Besides.....I had complete faith in you.

(Obi-wan heads after Ventress as the others make their way to regroup)


	6. Reversal of Fortune Part 6

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE PART 6

 

Int. view- The Emerald Sword engine area

(Hadranus walks through the darkened engine section of the ship. A dull energy pulses through everything, a hum that reminds him of the dead planet. With dread, he sees that the engines and most of the control center have been redesigned by Sunaj's twisted mind into a gothic/techno cathedral. The chants and wailings are heard coming from behind thick doors created as an entrance into the Sith sanctuary)

Hadranus: Mother of a Sarlaac......

(He opens the door, more suprised than afraid. The sight inside is a grisly one. POV pans around the sanctuary. Acolytes are watching him with wicked glee. Plagueis stands up at a podium with arms wide open. A silent greeting as they continue to chant. Worst shock for Hadranus, however, is seeing Nyssa being used as a dark battery, connected to the engines in a crucified pose above a Sith altar. Her energies nearly drained, she has brought the portal to life. More acolytes pour through)

Plagueis: So it has come to pass, just as I have forseen. The Sith shall have their revenge upon this galaxy, and the traitors who delayed our destiny!

Chorus: DESTINY!

Plagueis: The son rejoins the father, and we shall rule together. You will slay Sidious and take your place in my new Sith Empire!

Chorus: EMPIRE!

(Conradin does not feel like sitting through the same old sermon, so he strides up to Plagueis enraged)

Hadranus: Let my friend go! I swear I will detonate this ship!! I will destroy us all, and your legacy will never be known.....you have ten seconds-

Plagueis: SILENCE!!! If you wish to see her freed, you must submit to my will!

Hadranus: Go FUCK YOURSELF!

(Plagueis activates his sabre and launches himself at Hadranus without uttering another word! Conradin lights up and defends himself. They are nearly evenly matched as they strike and counterstrike, parry and lunge. After a minute of going back and forth, Plagueis repels Conradin with red flashes of lightning. The young man is tossed back to the floor, smoke rising from his clothes. The dark Lord casually strolls towards him with impatience)

Plagueis: Is it enough!? Your rage and anger grows with each strike, it hungers to be released! Oh, you try...try to hold the darkness back, but the only way you can achieve victory is to give in! IT IS INEVITABLE! Even your Master Dooku has embraced the dark!

Hadranus: LIAR!

Plagueis: He destroys whole worlds, butchers millions for money, fame and vanity...and STILL you follow him!

Hadranus: I will KILL YOU!!!

(Conradin launches back at the dark lord, not swinging wildly, but with incredible skill and speed. His eyes begin to glow as he starts pushing Plagueis back to the altar. Plagueis just smiles as Conradin's anger becomes greater, as he loses himself to revenge)

Plagueis: Can you finish it, my son?? Can you strike me down and be my living will to conquer the galaxy which is rightfully MINE!!!??

(Conradin, fully enraged at Plagueis arrogant demeanor, throws his hand out and engulfs Plagueis in red lightning. The room thunders and shakes. The acolytes are whipped away by the wind that swirls around Plagueis and Hadranus. The Sith does not scream in agony, but laughs as Conradin's discipline falters, as he opens up to dark powers he has inherited)

Hadranus: I WILL SAVE MY FRIENDS!

Plagueis: Death is her only release. She has become one with the engines to open our gate! And if you wish to "save" her, you must strike her dead!!!

(Conradin and Nyssa lock eyes. She is half dead already, and can barely speak. The gate fluctuates as it opens again. Nyssa spasms as her Force powers are drained once again to maintain the gate. She finally screams in agony. Several large tentacles slip out of the portal, though the creature that uses them has yet to be scene. Conradin shudders a little, for the creature with the tentacles must be very gigantic)

Plagueis: Do it, Conradin! Save your friend!! Strike her down and become a Lord of the Sith!! Or back away and let the Sith reenter the galaxy in triumph!! It is the no win scenario. I have forseen your turning....and you WILL turn.

(Conradin looks at him with terror and malice, but says nothing)

Plagueis: There is one ending to the story! Your completion and my victory!

(Nyssa looks at him, then glances at the detonater stuck to her hand. The chanting grows as Conradin sees the thermal bomb. He clutches his heart, and feels the dark filling him. He takes a step back and readies his lightsabre as he faces Nyssa. He bows his head, breathing heavily, ready to strike. Plagueis waits with anticipation)

Conradin: Anyone ever tell you....you talk too much?

(Plagueis becomes confused for a second. Conradin swiftly shuts off his sabre, drops it and holds out his hands. He does not release energy, but uses all his concentration to pull energy from Nyssa's bonds into him! The wind whips up again, like a vacuum sucking everything towards him. Conradin howls with strained effort to break Nyssa's connection to the machines that she has become a part of. Plagueis is knocked down, and in awe of the raw power that becomes one with his creation. Not dark power, but the light. Conradin's humanity is still stronger than his need for revenge. The substance holding and melded with Nyssa is vaporized. she is sucked off the machines, collapsing into Conradin's arms. The portal becomes highly unstable)

Plagueis: This cannot BE!!!

(Conradin turns to Plagueis, summoning his sabre from the floor)

Hadranus: I guess you didn't "see" that, did you!?

(Plagueis now becomes enraged at the arrogance directed at him. The Sith lord now screams in rage and charges Hadranus. They duel again, but Hadranus holds him off despite also holding Nyssa in one arm. They cross swords, and Hadranus gets up in Plagueis' pale face)

Hadranus: I DON'T BELIEVE IN THE NO WIN SCENARIO!

(Plagueis is so engulfed in hate he shrieks black blood from his mouth, drooling all over himself, eyes bloodshot with strained power that tries to destroy Hadranus. Plagueis leaps behind Hadranus, blocking his exit to the door)

Plagueis: Seal the chamber!

(Plagueis pushes Hadranus towards the altar and the horrible tentacles with each swing of his red shaded weapon, until Hadranus is almost pinned. Plagueis pulls his whole body, and Hadranus sees that he is about to launch the dark lightning. Conradin Hadranus grips Nyssa and jumps on the altar, timing his leap just as the Sith Lord swings his body and releases the storm of dark power. The lightning obliterates the altar. Hadranus uses the momentum to jump over Plagueis and run like Hell foor the grand cathedral doors that were being closed. An acolyte tries to stop him, but he gets impaled by Hadranus. His momentum, never slowing, keeps pushing the creature into the gap between the doors about to close. Pulling out his sabre, Hadranus flips over the body that holds the doors apart just a sliver enough for the Jedi to slip through and land feet first on the outside)

Plagueis: MY DESTINY IS TO RULE THE GALAXY!

(Plagueis exclamation is more a spoiled desperate plea in the face of his defeat. He cannot yet grasp the fact that his creation has beaten him again. Conradin looks at him as a calm takes control of his heightened senses. With another effort, he pulls the detonator from Nyssa's clenched hand)

Hadranus: You know what happens to people who try to rule the galaxy?

(Plagueis looks on in horror as Conradin presses the button on the thermal bomb and tosses it into the room just before the heavy doors crush in on the acolyte's body and close completely. Hadranus turns around and grips Nyssa with both arms)

Hadranus: They end up OUT of it.....

(He Force leaps away as fast as he can. Not looking back as the beeping detonator noises becomes faint. He leaps down the hallway to escape the blast radius. Nyssa gathers up just enough strength)

Nyssa: Conradin!! There's a bomb on board! I sensed it before I was captured!

(He pulls his communicator up in haste)

Hadranus: VGR!!!!! SEAL OFF THE BULKHEA-

(Everything goes white with an explosion that ruptures the engine area of the ship)

 

 

CUT TO- Ext view Republic camp on Drongar

(Alarms go off all over the camp, startling them out of their break)

Septime: An attack? It can't be!

Barriss: Impossible.

(They rush out to the field. Clone troopers lined up to prepare for battle. The Jedi gather together. Commander Cody runs up to General Kenobi)

Cody: General, a Sepratist droid fleet has moved out of light speed near the orbit of Drongar. It has been identified as the Emerald Sword Fleet.

(Some Jedi look at each other in suprise. Barriss frowns)

Barriss: And so we will see what he is truly made of.

Luminara: I sense an opportunity.

Cody: There are reports that the Emerald Sword has fires and looked heavily damaged as it jumped out of hyperspace.

Luminara: A mystery for later. Right now, we need to prepare to repel their landing forces!

(Everyone springs into action. Barriss looks at Luminara briefly. Both want to say much, but there was no time)

Luminara: Be mindful of what needs to be done, General.

Barriss: Yes, Master.

Luminara: May the Force be with you.

Barriss: And you, Master

 

Cut to-Int of the CIS ship Emerald Sword.

(We cut to the bridge where VGR coordinates the attack with 888. Lights flash everywhere)

888: We are still getting interference with those "hiccups". We've been having them since we jumped into hyperspace.

VGR: Well, we'll get to one thing at a time. We need to get the lightning strike going. We need to keep the Jedi occupied on the ground long enough to subdue their fleet and surround them.

(Cut to- Ext space. Troop transports and vehicle carriers fly at full speed for the Purple plateau. Republic ship make their way to engage the Emerald Fleet)

888: Commander Ramses' Southern Cross Fleet is in range to engage.

VGR: All ships, FIRE AT WILL!

(Cut to- Ext space. Laser cannon barrages erupt from all the droid capital ships. The clone cruisers retaliate in massive volleys of missles and energy blasts)

VGR: Commander OOM-8, you may commence with the landing. We will distract them long enough to land our units.

(OOM-8's voice responds over the intercom)

OOM-8: Roger roger.

(Cut to-Ext Space. Dozens of droid fighters slam into a wave of clone fighters in the middle of the Republic fleet, riddling several cruisers with laser fire like an intense insect swarm)

VGR: Jedi starfighters engaging our landing force.

888: Purple and Orange squads engage the Jedi fighters! VGR, Is the new Transport in place?

VGR: Affirmative. They are ready to launch the next wave.

888: LAUNCH!

(The CIS Droid ship "Shrieker", shaped like a huge disc, hovers over the planet's atmosphere. Hundreds of troop pods fire out from its belly at super speeds to land on the planet while clone fighters are occupied with the first wave of slower transports. Several swarms of vultures go toe-to-toe with Republic fighters in between the fleets. CU of CIS pilot Gold leader as he dodges Republic fighters on his tail)

GoldLeader: Bogies on my six. I'll lead them away from the main group. Red 5, take your squad and concentrate all your firepower on that super Republic command ship!

Red 5: Roger roger.

(CU of Republic pilot "Oddball" as he chases Gold leader)

Oddball: Dammit! The Force is strong with THIS one! All units engage Gold squad!

(POV pans away as Gold squad leads the Republic fighters on a merry chase between the bigger ships. We see large destroyers going toe-to-toe, banging each ther up with massive laser vollies. POV cuts to commander Savva as he stands in the middle of his bridge)

Savva: Get alongside the Emerald sword! We'll draw their fire while the destroyers flank them!

(POV cuts to the Bridge of the Emerald Sword. Aviva and Vlad enter the bridge)

Vlad: VGR, have you heard from Conradin yet?

VGR: We got cut off from an explosion that nearly tore the ship in half!

888: Republic command ship closing with us!

Aviva: Are we engaging?

888: You kidding? We have no choice. The engines have been weakened by whatever hit the ship. We're gonna plow past them and into the planet's atmosphere!

Vlad: Can we land this thing?

888: Repair crews are working on reconnecting engineering with the bridge, so we should have control in a few minutes

(A signal buzzes on 888's console. Hadranus opened a channel from within the ship)

Hadranus: Three Eights! What's happening?

888: Thank the maker! Commander, we've landed out of hyperjump, and are engaging the Republic Forces of Drongar!

Hadranus: Do we have control of the ship!??

888: Barely! We could be crashlanding if repair crews cannot restore power to the engines

Nyssa: Three Eights, do a diagnostice in the starboard section of engineering! There is a bomb on board!

(888 and VGR look at each other, as if the ship couldn't be in worse shape)

888: Scanning.....

(He looks over his console, scanning dozens of schematical readings in seconds)

888: FOUND IT!

(Hadranus and Nyssa finally reach the bridge. Aviva and Vlad help Nyssa into a chair as the battle rages around them. Republic fighters and CIS dogfight in close range as 888 turns to them)

888: We've picked up a device giving off a signal from an isolated section of the hyperdrive engines

Hadranus: What kind of sgnal?

888: A countdown....The thing is timed to go off!!

VGR: A trap set-

Hadranus: -By Grievous! SON OF A BITCH!!!!

VGR: That explosion crippled us good. We'll be entering the atmosphere in two minutes. I calculate we probably have less than 5 minutes before terminal altitude is reached! That bastard Grievous found a way top win the war and wipe out a whole lot of Jedi!!

Vlad: The Bota gasses on the planet...

(Hadranus frowns as he looks at them all)

Hadranus: Yea....the gasses don't react well to our fusion fuel.....If we were just landing, the engines wouldn't be a danger because it's not thick enough, but this explosion will cause a reaction that will burn the surface of the area...if not the whole planet.

Vlad: I'll go find the bomb!

VGR: You can't stop it! There's no time....

Hadranus: R5!

(R5-D4 turns and whistles)

Hadranus: See if you can't connect with the ship's computer to block or shut down that signal. Three Eights, do what you can to steer us clear or get engine power back!

888: Roger roger!

 

(Ext view- The Atmosphere. The mighty "Emerald Sword", flagship of the Emerald Fleet, makes its descent to the surface. On the bridge of the Emerald Sword, R5 beeps a few times while plugged into the main computer. Hadranus looks over to him)

Hadranus: Have you been able to shut down that signal?

R5-D4: Vreep!

Hadranus: Dammit!

(VGR looks over at the small red astromech)

VGR: R5, initiate a diagnostic sweep with the ship's computer.

(R5 plugs into the main computer socket and begins an analysis)

R5: Ver-REEP!!

VGR: Shit!

Hadranus: What? What happened?

VGR: It's too late! We've got some engine power, but time is running out. We're going in too fast!!

(Hadranus starts issuing orders)

Hadranus: Full reverse!! All nonessential personnel abandon ship. We'll ease her out of the atmosphere. I'm not ready to become a martyr yet! You?

VGR: Hell no!

888: Engines are engaged in reverse...but by my calculations, we will never make it.

Hadranus: give it all you got!

888: Sir, We are NOT GOING TO MAKE IT!!!

Hadranus: I CAN'T LET IT END LIKE THIS!!!

888: SPEED, TRAJECTORY, PHYSICS!! YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT! THE SHIP IS GOING TO BLOW UP THE PLANET IN LESS THAN 3 MINUTES.....we cannot just "wish" ourselves to safety....

(Hadranus stops to think, then looks at 888)

Hadranus: Yes we can! Three Eights......I got an idea....Open communications with the Jedi command!

(888s does not question, but reacts quickly. Yoda appears on the viewer, suprised to be called by his opponent)

Hadranus: Master Yoda.

Yoda: General, Sense worry from you, I do.

Hadranus: Our ship has been sabotaged, the explosion will vaporize the atmosphere of the planet. We need assistance to send us back up!

Yoda: (nods thoughtfully) Worry for ship, you leave to us. For you and your crew, time to evacuate.

Hadranus: Yes, Master Yoda.

 

(On the Planet surface, Yoda turns away from the communicator as Conradin's blue image fades. He looks up and focuses on the burning command ship that lurches away)

Yoda: Master Windu....

(Mace is two steps ahead and calls out to the Jedi around him)

Mace: I need every Jedi HERE! Every student, every teacher!

(a crowd of Jedi form, encircling Mace and Yoda)

Yoda: Concentrate all your thoughts on the ship. Push it up, we must!

(POW looks down upon them as they hold their hands up and concentrate)


	7. Reversal of Fortune Part 7

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE PART 7

 

Ext view of Sector B9

(Ventress emerges from the haze towards her ship. As she opens the cockpit, Obi-wan leaps out and lands in front of her. She sneers and lights up her weapons)

Ventress: You are a bigger fool than you realize.

(She lashes out, but he dodges both her light sabres, calm as ever)

Obi-wan: On the contrary, my dear. I am now a wiser man because of you.

Ventress: DO NOT MOCK ME!!

Obi-wan: Not mock, Ventress.....I see your pain. The hurt you have quietly endured. The Jedi rejected you.....it was a mistake.

Ventress: A mistake that cannot be reversed! A mistake that shall be your undoing!!

(She tries to attack him, provoke him. But he stays out of reach, refusing to fight back. He suddenly lunges out and grabs botrhe her wrists. They wrestle to the ground as he tries to wear the fight out of her)

Obi-wan: We had sensed Ky Narec's fate....but never realized he had a padawan of his own. We should have finished your training. Ventress, the pain will not go away until you let go of your anger. Until you find a peace in your heart-

(A message on his communicator interrupts. Mace Windu appears)

Mace: Master Kenobi, we have a crisis that could destroy the planet surface! We need you to return to camp and help repel the command ship. General Hadranus has informed us that his ship has been sabotaged-

Obi-wan: -Sabotaged!?-

Mace: -Rigged to explode in the atmosphere, burning everything on the surface in less than four minutes. He's trying to pull up, but we need every Jedi here to assist in giving him a push!

Obi-wan: On my way!

(He looks at Ventress as Mace's image disappears. He is now dead serious. She stares at him, then looks at the ground in anger again)

Ventress: DAMMIT!!! GREVIOUS!!!!!!

(She looks at him. It dawns on them both that the Cyborg General played them all)

Obi-wan: There's still a chance!

(Ventress looks at him like he's crazy)

Ventress: I'll take my chances in the sky. Try to stop me and I will-

Obi-wan: -Ventress, we can stop it!

(She hesitates)

Ventress: YOU ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!

Obi-wan: We stopped it on Geidi Prime, we can do it again! Ventress!!!

(She is startled by the mentioned of Geidi Prime)

Obi-wan: Less than four minutes. You and I both know you won't make it out in time! And Grievous will only try to kill you again! You're only hope is to help US!!!

(She hesitates, but resolves herself)

Ventress: I'd rather roast in Hell!!

Obi-wan: VENTRESS....Don't go....we need your help. Don't let Ky Narec die in vain the same way WE DID.....

(Ventress stands and looks at him. She sighs, a little stunned by his plea. She felt the need to reach out, but snapped out of it)

Asajj: Let us go, then.....

(They head back to camp)

 

Cut to- The Ship, Int.

(The ship rocks back and forth as it is lifted quickly through the bright blue sky. Everyone scrambles for the escape pods. On the bridge, VGR helps Nyssa into the nearby pod, followed by R5-D4, Aviva and Vlad, who turns around. Conradin stands at the helm of the bridge, concentrating on the ship, but ultimately looks like he's just going to stay on board)

R5-D4: VREEP!!!

Vlad: General! It's time to go!!

(Conradin sighs, feeling emotionally tired, and a bit suicidal. He just looks at him)

Hadranus: I can't keep doing this...

Vlad: Oh no you don't! I'm not going to listen to you make one of your gorram heroic speeches about the greater good. GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!

Hadranus: I'm not being heroic! I'M JUST TIRED!!! Plus, somebody needs to navigate this ship away just right or we all die!

(Droid 888 comes up behind Hadranus and hits him in the head, knocking him out. 888 carries Hadranus over to the pod, helping Vlad put him inside)

888: I am qualified to take the ship out of the atmosphere. Give the general my apologies....

Vlad: Three eights....

(Droid 888 takes hands with Vlad, Aviva and VGR shake hands one last time)

888: It has been my greatest honor, to serve. Farewell, my friends. General VGR, defend the honor of our make and model. We're the best!

(VGR steps back into the pod and salutes. No need to compute a response)

Vlad: We will never forget you...

(888 tilts his head as he shuts the pod up tight)

888: Thank you sir, and good luck....

(Droid 888 fires off the escape pod, and watches it glide into the atmosphere as the thin light blue sky turns dark and starry. The ship vibrates roughly, causing the droid to march back to the controls to stabilize the ship. POV backs away as he just stares out the front windshield. He braces himself as the Emerald Sword is pushed away from the planet)

 

 

Ext view, The Jedi Camp

(Obi wan enters camp, Ventress hides near the trees)

Obi-wan: You don't have to-

Asajj: PLEASE! Just Go....I will concentrate from here....

Obi-wan: We can do this....

(He stands next to her as they focus on the ship)

Asajj: I leave as soon as the ship is gone. Do not follow me and bore me with your speeches.

Obi-wan: Of course not.

(He smirks slightly, making her uncomfortable)

Asajj: My destiny has been made, Obi-wan. I serve Dooku with all my devotion and loyalty.

Obi-wan: You must do what is best....

(She gets irritated)

Asajj: WHY are you being so....

Obi-wan: Sorry....I get like that sometimes. Anakin used to try my patience too

Asajj: Don't even get started on Skywalker......He has enough arrogance to-

(She stops and looks at him, even more irritated)

Asajj: STOP that!

Obi-wan: Stop what??

Asajj: You KNOW what! We shouldn't even BE here doing this! We are still.....enemies....

(She feels worn down trying to say the word)

Obi-wan: Grievous will kill you if you go back.

(She frowns and looks at him, but knows he is right. She almost says something but stops. She looks up)

Asajj: I do not have the luxury of changing my fate or sharing my life with anyone. Dooku is all I have left.

(They are both quiet)

Obi-wan: You ever been to Tatooine?

Asajj: ???......What?

Obi-wan: Sorry, silly question.

Asajj: I have not been to Tatooine! Why would I-

Obi-wan: -It's just that I was thinking about some flora there....there's a plant in the desert....A Roddenahedron-

Asajj: -WHAT DOES HORTICULTURE HAV TO DO WITH ANYTHING???? What the-Is this how Jedi get their revenge?? By boring me to death?

Obi-wan: You see, Asajj.....The plant blooms in the middle of a wastelend. No water, hostile bugs, all manner of bad conditions.....but even science cannot explain how it thrives and blooms in such a cruel world. You can find beauty, Asajj....if you know where to look....

(Her eyes water up again. She steps back and continues to concentrate upward)

(The ship is slowly pushed back into space)

Septime: I think it's working!

Obi-wan: Just a little more......

(Septime looks back at Obi-wan and Ventress. Assured at first, she does a quick doubletake and stares in disbelief, then turns back to focusing on the ship in the sky)

 

 

Cut to- The interior of the large escape pod

(Hadranus wakes up and rubs his head. He looks around and sees Vlad, Nyssa, Aviva, VGR, and 5 other droids bracing themselves)

Hadranus: Three-eights??

Vlad: He's got the ship now....

(Hadranus looks out a windows. One shows them spiraling through the atmosphere with almost a hundred other pods, leaving the dark blue of space for the bright sunfilled planetary view. He looks out another and sees his ship as it gets farther away. An ancient ship of another time and place that deserved a better fate)

VGR: The blast radius will bounce off the protective atmosphere. The planet will be safe. But...

(Conradin looks at his friend, still dazed but concerned)

VGR: The electromagnetic impulse will hit us and freeze up most of our systems. The droids will freeze up. You'll still be able to land......

Hadranus: The troops?

VGR: We'd have to be....well, rebooted I guess is the word. I seriously doubt that the Republic will allow it.

(CU of the Emerald Sword. It evaporates in a ball of light, bursting apart in flames)

(CU of Mace and the Jedi as they see the bright explosion from a safe distance)

(CU of Passel Argente from his CIS command ship. He watches in horror)

(CU of Barriss as she watches)

(CU of Asajj Ventress, who watches the explosion from the thicket of trees a short distance from Obi-wan Kenobi. She turns and leaves without him noticing)

(CU of the CIS droid leader of Gold squad. The droid observes the destruction of the Emerald Sword and turns to face the large Republic ship in front of him. In the history of the galaxy, it has never been recorded that a droid ever cried at any loss. None would ever know how many broken hearts were carried by the fighting droids of Gold Squad at the sight of losing what they computed to have "loved". Gold Leader does not shed tears, it cannot. But it can be heard in its voice)

GoldLeader: THE BATTLE IS OURS TO LOSE!!! Show the meatbags what Gold Squad can do!! FOR COUNT DOOKU, AND THE CHOSEN ONE!!!!

(Gold squad evades the Republic fighters and dive into the large cruiser like a flock of kamikazes)

(CU of Commander Savva on the bridge as Goldleader flies straight at them!)

Savva: ABANDON SHIP!!

(Goldleader crashes into the hull near the bridge. Savva watches helplessly as the ship is torn apart by the flurry of Gold squad fighters smashing into the hull. He joins others in an escape pod. In moments, The whole ship sinks away from the main battle, with hundreds of escape pods ejecting from one last Sepratist hurrah)

 

(CU of the people in the pod. VGR puts his droid hand on Hadranus' shoulder as they watch the explosion quietly. Fiery pieces burn up in the atmosphere as the bright explosion darkens into nothing)

VGR: 7 seconds to impact.

(The droids in the pod all stand to attention. Conradin turns to him and has a moment of panic. He suddenly feels scared for his droid friend, and his companion R5. Something was about to happen)

Hadranus: VGR.....What about you? What have I done??

(Conradin's voice cracks in despair for droids. Not just droids. VGR almost sounds compassionate as he grips Hadranus' arm)

VGR: What you had to do. What you always do......You turned death into a fighting chance to live.

(They look at each other. The droids step back, stand at attention.....and salute. The electromagnetic shockwave hits. The lights dim, but come back on with emergency power. The droids are deactivated, and fall to the floor. R5 shuts down with a small whine. Conradin looks to his friends. Aviva and Vlad hold each other and Nyssa. Given that most people look down on droids at the best of times, no one will ever understand their friendship with VGR-001. A reboot will never come to these droids who had grown more alive than anyone will know. Conradin quietly looks down at VGR, and caresses R5 like a little brother. R5 can be revived, but the combat droids are destined to end up in a scrap heap. They are dead)

Nyssa: We'll be alright. The pod will land in a few short minutes.

(Hadranus sits back on the bench, and just sighs in despair)

Hadranus: Well, here we are....We can expect mercy from the Jedi. That's the easy part. Chancellor Palpatine, on the other hand....well, he'll have us dining in the spice mines of kessel by the end of the week.

(They are quiet for a second as the pod continues its descent)

Vlad: You know what? Screw him. We made it this far. We are going to survive this war and live life somehow. Even VGR believed in it.

Hadranus: But the story ends here. We are the last of Dooku's students, we are the last part of a dream that was supposed to raise the Republic and the Jedi to greater heights. I'm tired. It's the end, and I'm tired. After all we''ve been through....history will paint us as monsters defeated by great heroes like Anakin. We'll be a footnote in Palpatine's administration. We will become faded characters in some campfire story, or worse yet, some lame attempt at holovid fanfiction. Did we do any good? After all we fought for, in that old temple on Rhen Var all the way here to Drongar......did any of it matter?

(Conradin straightens up his uniform as he looks at the planet below. Aviva unconciously holds her stomach area and stands next to him)

Aviva: It's not over. It's not over until WE say it's over. Your story, and mine...Vlad's....and even Nyssa's....

(POV shows a montage of past scenes, when the 9 of them first gathered at the cold temple on Rhen Var years before)

Aviva: ...The story will not end. There is no end, just as there was never really a beginning. We are always in the middle. Look, everybody always figures that the time they live in is the most epic, most important age to end all ages....

(montage shows scenes from the battle for Naboo, Jedi and Gungans fighting the droids, Quigon and Obi-wan dueling with Darth Maul)

Aviva: ...But tyrants and heroes rise and fall, and historians sort out the pieces. We took over the struggles of those who came before us. New faces eventually take over for us, and someone will carry on all our struggles because of the greater good we have done....

(Flashback to the statues Conradin saw in the Hall of Heroes. POV passes by heroes of every time, place, dimension, heroes of the long dead past and those yet to be born. POV stops in front of statues of Vlad and Aviva)

Aviva: ...VGR is not dead, nor is Poggle or Baga or any of the others. No one is truly dead until all the lives they've touched have finally passed on....

(Montage shows VGR letting Conradin escape on Naboo, Poggle's triumph on Geonosis, Baga joking by the dark fire on the sith world)

Aviva: ...Wars come and go, but what we have done in this great story will be remembered and carried on. Our mistakes will be corrected, our failings forgiven...

(POV now shows montage of the present, with a relieved Mace Windu issuing orders, Palpatine sitting at his desk relieved, Dooku reading the scanner on the results of the assault on Drongar. Dooku's face turns to despair as he reads of defeat)

Aviva: ...Our good deeds, however, will become immortal in the lives of the billions that have been saved by Dooku's dream, by the Jedi who see us for what we have accomplished. Maybe Dooku will never see it now, but HE made this dream possible.....

(montage of the cheering crowds on Geidi Prime as the Republic rescues them, Rhombur Vernius hugs his family, the celebrations on Naboo, Conradin and Barriss hugging as they prepared for certain nuclear annihilation. Montage ends)

Aviva: ...The story was here before we existed, and it will remain when we have passed into dust, when the last stars of the galaxy finally burn out. We will pass on, but we have added to the story carried by the heroes who lived in that old temple on Rhen Var. We have made the story better. We have given THEIR lives purpose, even if we cannot remember their names and deeds....

(Hadranus, thinking for a moment, just smiles and forgets their predicament)

Hadranus: If we were anywhere else, and not in this pod....I'd have to say that THAT was the corniest thing I had ever heard. But you are right.

(The four of them sit together, holding hands as the pod begins landing procedures. Everything feels peaceful as they let go of all concerns for the war, as if they have reached a sort of acceptance for their situation)

Nyssa: Thank you all for being my greatest friends. I think back on the others, the 9 of us.....I miss them so much. But I know they are with us in spirit. I owe you all so much. I wouldn't be here without you. I don't know what I'm going to do now that I've lost all my powers. I'm not much use as a Sith witch....

Vlad: But you are here now. And now is good.

Aviva: Who can say where the road goes for you, Nyssa? Or for any of us?

Hadranus: Only time. Destiny brought us together...

Aviva: And it will see us through....May it be....

(He starts to feel brighter inside. He smiles at them. He is with his friends here and now, for what may be the last time. The pod shutters a little, but they are all calm as the four of them get ready)

Hadranus: The really big question remains......Aviva, is it a boy or a girl?

(Aviva gasps a little and blushes. Hadranus grins a little. Vlad holds her hand tightly, very proud)

Aviva: I sense it is a boy....

(POV cuts to the pod as it drifts closer to the ground for a second. POV cuts back to the group)

Vlad: The war is officially over. We will raise him in a new world, a new Republic. And he will know peace.

Aviva: He will carry on the story of Aviva and Vlad in his own way. I sense it.

Nyssa: What will you name him?

Aviva: I don't know yet....I've been thinking of Kipp or maybe Aries.

Vlad: I like Han. Han is a good Corellian-style name.

Aviva: I don''t know....It doesn't sound masculine enough.

(They laugh quietly as the pod slows to touch down)

Nyssa: What will be your fate after the war, Conradin?

Hadranus: Maybe after the inevitable prison term.....I'll find a quiet planet and maybe open up a small vegetable store. I remember this CIS naval officer named Ryback during the campaign in the dark territories. He was a good fighter, but an even better cook. He taught me a few tricks.

Aviva: Maybe the bigger question is....what about Barriss?

(Conradin blushes now. Vlad smiles, but they all sense an inner sadness)

Vlad: Maybe it wasn't obvious to Master Dooku and the CIS council....but you are an open book to those who know love....

(Conradin becomes bittersweet but smiles anyway)

Hadranus: Our paths seperated a long time ago....That is a destiny I cannot alter with all my powers. This will be the corniest thing I have to say, but Love will always be the greatest casualty in my life. I can sense her here on the planet, and we may get to meet. I sense her feelings for me....but there is no future. I'm too old and tired to fight the inevitable truth, and she is detined to be a Jedi. It's time to let go.

(Vlad puts a hand on his shoulder)

Vlad: Never give up, never surrender. Aviva and I are stronger now because of our bond. We are even stronger when we have arguments, because we have beaten the odds. Our life will be a struggle as the war ends, but we will make it. Always have hope. I sense you and Barriss still have a destiny. Don't run from it. It has a way of finding you....

(Conradin looks at him, thinking back to when Dooku told him those words. The four sense the journey is almost over. They embrace in this rare chance to face the Republic together. One last embrace with heads bowed. The pod is silent as it lands in the middle of a quiet field littered with pods, deactivated droids and squads of clone troopers and Jedi converging on their location. Music ends)


	8. Reversal of Fortune Part 8

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE PART 8

 

Ext shot of escape pod as smoke rises from its small crater.

(The door opens as POV gets closer. Conradin steps out as Anakin and the clone troopers get closer. Conradin surveys the area. Hes sees that hundreds of droids have either collapsed in the middle of combat or are falling over, being deactivated out in the open. Those not hit by the atmospheric strike have been shut down without a signal from a friendly CIS source. Septime and Paleo-logus greet them first. They hug warmly. Hadranus gets a small chill, then notices Anakin staring at him)

Anakin: I would really love it right now if you resisted arrest...

(Conradin shakes his head in disbelief)

Hadranus: Hey, you know what, Anakin? I'm tired. You win, so let's just call it a day, boy.

(Anakin gets snippy)

Anakin: I just ran a few laps with Ventress, and I'm not in the mood for your attitude!

Hadranus: Whatever....

(Anakin takes the response as a slight. He shoves Conradin, looking for a fight. Conradin sneers and shoves him back)

Anakin: Ready to settle the question everyone in the frakking galaxy has been asking?

Hadranus: I'm ready to humble the galaxy's biggest brat, if that's what you mean! 

Vlad: Conradin! No!! Don't start the fight. That what he WANTS!!

(For a moment, Hadranus smile viciously)

Hadranus: It's what we BOTH want....

(Anakin lights up his sabre with anticipation. Conradin lights up a second later with grim determination. Clone troopers suround them and aim their rifles. The other Jedi masters are too far away to see what is going on. Vlad, Aviva and Nyssa watch helplessly from the pod)

Anakin: One more duel to prove who is #1....

Hadranus: (sneering) Hallelujah...

(They strike swords in a flash. CU as Anakin grins, getting into Hadranus' face while their sabres are pressed against each other)

Anakin: This is just the warmup! wait until I get a crack at old, pathetic Dooku...

(Conradin bends away, twirls around and viciously elbow Anakin in the face as Skywalker tries to regain his footing. They cross swords again. Anakin looks pissed)

Hadranus: After all this time, Anakin! After all you've been taught and experienced, you big dumb DOPE! You still missed the point of what it means to even BE a jedi!

Ahsoka: MASTER!!!

(Conradin and Anakin raise their sabres to strike. As the bring their fury down upon each other, Barriss steps in and deflects them both away)

Barriss: STOP!!

(Conradin stops, awed by her presence, sensing a tremendous amount of influence in the Force. Anakin is suprised by her as well)

Barriss: You two KNOW better! The battle is over. General Hadranus, it is time to surrender NOW.

(Conradin frowns as he looks at her. He nods at her quietly, surrenduring. Anakin, sensing opportunity, takes a swing from behind)

Barriss: Anakin, NO!

(Barriss thrusts her hand out and pushes Conradin away with the Force. Conradin stares at Anakin in total disbelief. By this time, General Kenobi, Luminara Unduli and Yoda have made their way to the scene)

Obi-wan: Anakin, STOP!

(The guards step in as Anakin backs away, visibly annoyed at not being able to finish the duel)

Anakin: I have everything under control. Guards, take them away.

(The clone troopers round up the prisoners and march them off. Conradin hands over his sabre to Barriss slowly. He brushes his hand to hers, and senses a burst of crackling emotion bottled up behind a stoic face. They both feel a brief, intense warmth as she takes it from him. He tries to speak, but feels so terribly awkward that he frowns again and backs off from her. She looks at him, embarrassed at their predicament. Obi-wan and Luminara watch in the BG with apprehension. Conradin's eyes get a little watery and he looks away)

Hadranus: (whispering) I'm sorry.....

(The clone troops march him off to be processed as a prisoner of war. Anakin gives off an arrogant "pfft", watching the defeated general be taken. CU of Barriss, snapping her attention to him as she catches his contemptuous noise. More jedi arrive. She finally settles down and turns to walk away. Obi-wan and Ahsoka come up to Anakin. Obi-wan puts a hand on his shoulder)

Obi-wan: Come, Anakin. She will calm down.

Anakin: I know. I didn't expect-

Obi-wan: Let your patience be your guide here. We won. Let it go. We captured all of Dooku's remaining students.

(Anakin looks at him in a rare moment of thoughtfulness)

Anakin: Not ALL of them......

(Kenobi looks up at the sky, sensing the escaping craft as it leaves the planet. Anakin can sense sadness from his former Master)

Obi-wan: Maybe next time.

Anakin: Your thoughts betray you, Master. Am I to understand you actually-

(Obi-wan cuts him off, trying to deny something that he refuses to be obvious about)

Obi-wan: -You sense disappointment, that I could not capture her. I will meditate on how to......I'll meditate in the cantina later tonight

(Obi-wan, having cut off Anakin, just smiles enigmatically at his former student and walks away. Anakin now senses a shield of willpower from Kenobi, blocking any weaknesses...blocking feelings. Ahsoka gives Anakin a cheerful nudge. Anakin lightens up and smiles)

 

 

 

 

Cut to-Ext view of the planetary orbit

(POV pans by large floating pieces of debris. One lone ship veers around the wreckage, quietly making an escape from the scene)

(CU of Ventress at the shuttle's controls. She wipes away the dirt from her face and frowns. For a moment, she looks down at the planet. She stops the ship in space, staring, deep in thought, she frowns again, punching the coordinates to make her jump to Hyperspace)

 

 

 

Cut to-Ext view of Base camp

(The Jedi gather around Yoda as the prisoners are brought to him. First in line are the Nemoidian officers and beaurocrats. Some are defiantly haughty, others cower in fear of the Jedi. Yoda, Mace and Ki Adi Mundi face them)

Yoda: Held you shall be, according to the lawful rules of the Republic. Judgement, the courts of the Republic will decide. War crimes, you reap what you have sown in the Republic. Take them away, Captain.

(Clone troopers escort them to their prison ship. Next up are the lower ranks of confederate troopers, mercenaries, and slaves. They look on with downtrodden expressions. Yoda is gentler in his tone with them)

Yoda: Not your doing, this war has become. Yet fight, your masters have demanded of you. Over for you, the war shall be, with care and aid we give. To the medical frigates you shall go. Take them, Lieutenant.

(They are led away, relieved of the burden of fighting. Finally, the opposing Jedi are brought forth. Nyssa, Vlad, Aviva and Conradin. Yoda contemplates as he looks them over)

Yoda: What to do, what to do.....Complications, we have in you, yet great deeds also. We have seen what is in your hearts. Troubled, you have been. Troubled that you must fight friends, fight comrades. Troubled, I have been at these events.

Hadranus: we have been troubled, Master Yoda. I have been driven by ambition, to be Dooku's chosen......yet we have struggled....

(He glances at his friends Septime and Paleo-Logus, at Obi-wan, Luminara and Barriss)

Hadranus: I have failed you and the Republic. I am ready for your judgement, and the judgement of this council.

(Yoda hobbles to him with his walking stick and smiles)

Yoda: Tried, you did. Even tried, Dooku did. But succumbed to darkness in his heart, Dooku has. You, and your friends....faced the darkness, you have. Faced it, and triumphed. Fight for Dooku, you have, it is true. Think about that now, let us not. The issue is in the hands of destiny, just as destiny has brought you here to us.

(Yoda looks at Mace and the others)

Yoda: Never quite seen the enemy, have we. Yet seen it, these young people have. Seen it, and defeated it in their hearts. Chosen to serve the light, they have. The first duty. Duty to the light, they have never been in question. Duty is all we have. In Destiny's hands the rest is.

(Yoda gets up close to Hadranus, who kneels as everyone leans in. Yoda puts a gentle hand on his shoulder)

Yoda: The soldier of war has one great trap.....to be a good soldier, love the army you must. To be a good Commander...ready to order the death of the thing you love you must, ready to sacrifice all. We do not fear our own death, you and I. But there comes a time....we are not quite prepared for so many to die. Expect the occasional empty chair, we do.....a salute to fallen comrades. But, on and on this war goes, friends die....and ever higher the price becomes. Prepared to lose some of us, we are....but never all of us are we prepared to lose. There is the great trap, Emerald General. The Jedi have lost a great many knights, many friends. Fewer of us than ever and still the fighting goes on. Commit ourselves totally, you and I have done this day. Three long years adrift in a sea of blood, and want it to end, I do. Our final battle, I want Drongar to be. And your final test, for you all have proven yourselves worthy of the Jedi Order this day.

(Yoda lights up his sabre with a ceremonial flourish)

Yoda: Vlad Pharis, Aviva Motaru, Nyssa Arakna, Paleo-Logus, Conradin Hadranus and Lady Septime....Kneel.

(The crowd of Jedi gasp. the 6 of them, also stunned at this turn of events, silently kneel. They do not have the traditional hairpiece of a Jedi padawan, but Yoda waves the sabre to their heads in traditional fashion. A true reward granted for their noble actions in saving a great many lives today....and also a necessity Yoda recognizes. The Jedi order has been devastated by the war and the ruthless tactics of Grievous and Dooku. Hadranus and the others have proven themselves and have become what they had always sought to be)

Yoda: Swear you, to uphold the laws of the Republic and the Jedi Code, to protect the weak and to embrace the light?

(Each one of them answers quickly. CU of Yoda)

Yoda: Arise, Knights of the Jedi order!

(They rise. All is silent at first, then they recieve an applause from the crowd. Anakin frowns at first, but eventually applauds with the rest. Conradin looks over at Barriss and Luminara. There is a tremor in the Force from different directions)

(CU of Yoda, who feels a sense of pride swell among those around him, and relief from the new Jedi, yet he also senses a cloud of darkness from somewhere)

(CU of Barriss, who feels a warmth from Conradin. She looks him in the eyes and reciprocates an unseen bond. She senses their destiny is nearly complete, a destiny that can no longer be seperated by war or the Jedi code)

(CU of Conradin. He feels the warmth from Barriss, but also the cold screams from beyond, screams of anger and disapproval from his Sith father, Darth Plagueis. He has nearly beaten his personal demons)

(CU of Obi-wan, who senses frustration from his friend Anakin...and a faint sadness from somewhere else)

(CU of Luminara. She senses what none of the others notice. Looking at Barriss, her daughter and Hadranus, she now realizes that whatever Destiny has in store, it is out of her hands. She goes to the young man and gives him a congratulatory hug)

Luminara: My dear boy......

(Conradin smiles, not knowing what to say as the crowd disperses and everyone goes to the cantina or to their personal quarters)

Hadranus: Master Unduli, I sense the war is nearly at an end.

Luminara: I hope so. Barriss.....

(Luminara looks over at Barriss. They glance at each other in their way. A look of the eyes, nothing more as Master Unduli walks away. A glance that has been a whole conversation, of worry and also happiness. Everything was going to be alright)

 

 

(CU of Barriss and Conradin as they walk toward each other quietly. They are almost too scared to even smile, but they energy crackling between them becomes incredible)

Barriss: Congratulations...the impossible dream came true.

Hadranus: I thought I'd never see you again.

Barriss: Me too.

(They Hug, They glow, though no one is there now to see it. A glow that can be felt by Jedi on the planet, but not defined)

(Yoda feels a tremor of delight. He cannot explain it, but feels the Force's benevolence engulf the planet)

(The tremor creates inexplicable hope in Jedi hearts, and a trembling unknowable terror in Darth Sidious in far off Coruscant. CU of Sidious as he stares out into the Coruscant night with a snarl, unable to comprehend the power of the light that can almost destroy him instantly) 

(Cut to sector B9. The glow destroys the power of Sector B9, evaporating the darkness there and creating a field of light. In the coming days, Clone troopers will report at the perimeter that B9 became something else overnight as flowers bloom and benign animals start flourishing there. No longer a place of murky evil, the Jedi would forever call it the place of Elysium, but never know why it came to be)

(CU of Conradin and Barriss as they hold each other close)

Hadranus: How wonderful life is....

(He smiles at her. They almost lightly levitate off the ground, just looking at each other)

Barriss: ...Now that you're in my world.....

(With hearts pounding, they quietly kiss, and the tremendousness of the brief moment creates a calm glow in the stars. They pull away only for a second to gasp, then kiss even longer. She wraps her arms around his waist, he caresses her face. With greedy eyes, they stop, but they tremble and pull together into one more solid kiss that almost signals thunder in the sky like a sonic boom)

(CU of Aviva and Vlad as they embrace in the middle of the camp. They sense Conradin and Barriss' power, and know what is happening)

(CU of the Republic fleet. The ships almost shine from an inexplicable glow)

(CU of Nikael Savva as he talks to Sache on a viewscreen, letting her know he is ok. Once a simple lad on a small forgettable transport, he has grown into something greater with her. Sache smiles as they talk)

(CU of Maris and Zett as they sit in the cantina, holding hands under the table)

(CU of Anakin and his padawan Ahsoka as they walk to the cantina. She smiles and nudges at him playfully. He smiles and pats her on the head with warmth)

(CU of Obi-wan in the Cantina. He stares at his drink, but suddenly looks up and can feel a connection with the living Force. He smiles)

(CU of Asajj Ventress. She trembles while flying her craft and looks back, feeling a connection, a warmth that startles her, but becomes stronger. She mouths his name as she looks down at the planet one more time. reluctantly, she leaves)

(CU of Luminara as she meditates in her quarters. She smiles as she senses a comforting hand on her shoulder, a ghostly hand from an unseen Jedi spirit that is always with her. Qui-gon leans down and caresses her face, reminding her as he vanishes again that he is always with her)

(POV finally cuts back to Conradin Hadranus and Barriss Offee. POV backs away as they stop levitating and look at each other deeply. POV pulls back as they just stare at each other, Smiling, surrounded by a frozen tableau of Jedi, Clone troopers, and civilians....and Peace)

(Fade to black)

 

 

(Cut to, Dooku's fleet. Grievous, having just shuttled in, walks from the Hangar down the hall towards the main observation tower. The doors open to the large observatory on top of the ship. We see from Grievous' point of view that Dooku is at a control panel, listening to an onscreen report of the massive failure at Drongar. Dooku's head is bowed, his back to grievous)

Grievous: Master Dooku?

(Dooku does not hear him. The blackness in Dooku's heart has blocked out all senses, including the Force. The droid on the screen mentions Conradin's ship as destroyed in action, the fleet dispersed, the Republic very much in control. The report also lists Conradin, Vlad, Aviva, and Nyssa as KIA. CU of Dooku as he falls to his knees)

Grievous: My LORD!

(Grievous wobbles over to him to help him up. Dooku turns to face him. Tears flow down his face as he sits by Grievous)

Dooku: He's gone......

(Though Grievous is not an actor, he puts on the best "suprised" face he can)

Grievous: What?

Dooku: We lost the fleet at Drongar. All ships, destroyed or scattered in retreat. General Hadranus is dead. His ship was destroyed in the atmosphere as he was ascending......I don't understand. Victory was in his grasp.

Grievous: What of enemy losses?

(Dooku stares into space, trying to maintain what was left of his pride, his shattered will to go on fighting. Grievous looked at the report onscreen, and knew that the plan to wipe out the surface had failed)

Grievous:We will retaliate! General Yoda has not heard the last of me!

Dooku: RETALIATE???

(Dooku straightens himself up, getting on his feet)

Dooku: How? The Republic has broken our back! Three years of going back and forth, three years in a tug-of-war, and they broke our greatest offensive. It is over!

Grievous: You can't give up now. We are fully committed.

Dooku: WE CANNOT WIN! News of Hadranus' defeat will spread like a plague, our allies will abandon us! The foundries cannot sustain the losses we have been dealt........the Chosen One is dead........

Grievous: No, it will not end like this. Hadranus' loss is a necessary sacrifice-

Dooku: -He was the only one who could maintain the balance. He was supposed to destroy Sidious!

Grievous: Well THAT is no longer an option. Get over your ridiculous prophecy!

(Dooku pushes the cyborg away, not with the Force, but with sheer brute strength no 80-something man should have. Hate and anger stormed across his face)

Dooku: GET OUT! The war is over! As soon as you disperse the fleet, you are relieved of your command.....

(Dooku turns away to stare out the window into the emptiness of space. The eternal loneliness of space. It looks tranquil, but Dooku can feel the violence that rages across the span of stars he sees. Grievous does not move. Dooku wipes away the tears and regains his composure, calming down. Still, his spirit has reached a new depth of despair)

Dooku: What have I done, General.........what have I done?

Grievous: My Lord?

Dooku: I have destroyed dozens of worlds, the blood of several billion lives are stained on my hands........At least 6 sentient species are on the brink of extinction. EXTINCTION because of my greed, my bloodlust......I felt nothing until now. I did not cry for the 6 billion who died on Nharl almost three years ago, the two hundred million on Praxis......I shed no tears while letting Asajj Ventress butcher two dozen Jedi younglings and Padawans on Corellia......Children who are dead because of me......

(Grievous tries not to roll his eyes)

Grievous: Stop this self pity.

Dooku: Conradin is DEAD!!! Why??? Why do I cry NOW???? He was like a s-....like a son. (sob) He gave up everything. His career, prestige, the love of a young woman.......all to help a blind old fool!

Grievous: We took a chance. It didn't work. PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!!

Dooku: He was supposed to bring balance, slay the Sith. HE was supposed to save the galaxy! HE was supposed to be the Hero!!! (venomously) NOT SKYWALKER!!!! Anakin's bravado and arrogance has cost so many lives!! It's OBSCENE that he still lives when Conradin is dead......life has killed the dream I dreamed......It ISN'T FAIR!!!

(Dooku stares out at the stars, crushed. He pulls out his red sabre and screams in rage, smashing computer consoles and various pieces of equipment. Droid guards enter to defend Master Dooku, thinking he is under attack, but stop, watch, then back away out of the room as his dark rage thunders across the room at everything but Grievous. He finally stops and puts his weapon away. Still in despair, still on the edge of darkness)

Dooku: That boy was our last hope.......

Grievous: No.....

(Grievous pulls him closer. Time to enact his grand finale plan)

Grievous: ....There is another way.

Dooku: What do you mean?

Grievous: The boldest attack.......it is yet to come. I have gathered the last of our fleet reserves, several hundred ships.......and they are ready.....One last strike at the serpent's heart......IN CORUSCANT!!!

(Grievous pulls Dooku's will to fight back into the war. POV watches as they walk away. Fade to black, then cut to credits)

 

 

 

(Bonus Scene)

Int view of council Chambers of Gungan City on Naboo

(POV pans around, showing dozens of clone troopers at attention outside the chamber doors. Captain Tarpals is being stalled by an obstinate clone officer)

Tarpals: Thissa no gooda! Meesa needin to see the big boss Nass and the biggy biggy counci!!

Officer: Senator Binks is talking to the council right now. Whatever business you have can wait!

Tarpals: Binks! Jar Jar needin be a little more respectin of Gungan traditions! Theesa no way to-

(Several violent noises are heard in the chamber behind the sold doors. Tarpals is caught by suprise by the sudden shrieks within, and a noise that sounds very much like a light sabre being used in a violent fashion)

Tarpals: What eesa matter!!?? Theysa being attacked!!!

(Tarpals tries to go to the doors. The clone officer and several troops block the door firmly, forcing him to back away)

Officer: Senator Binks has everything under control. Now move along, gopher boy.

(Tarpals is shocked at their nonaction. In seconds, the violent noises cease. Everything is horrifyingly quiet. A cold chill goes down Tarpals' spine, and he moves away, with a sudden urge to run. He walks away and turns a corner, but braces himself at the edge. CU of Tarpals as the Chamber doors in the BG open. He peeks around the corner from the safe distance and sees Jar Jar Binks in a black outfit, carrying a blood red lightsabre. In the chamber behind Binks lies the carnage of a half dozen bodies smeared all over the room. Binks shuts off his sabre, causing Tarpals to snap back around the corner, quietly listening in terror)

Binks: Officer, Meesa wantin you to inform Panaka that my be issuing bombad martial law on Gungan City. The Big Boss council get pasted. Weesa be takin over. If any ask, weeesa tellin dem big bombad droid assasins pasted the council. 

Officer: Yes sir! We should have control of the city in 20 minutes. But what happens if the Gungan citizens protest our takeover?

(CU of Jar Jar as he sneers)

Binks: Gungas get pasted too, I guess. Weesa got a grand armee....Get my shuttle ready. Weesa be leavin for Palpy's after weesa lock down everything....

 

(Jar Jar Binks strolls regally down a hallway, away from Tarpals, who has gone unnoticed. Tarpals looks again and sees the aftermath of slaughter and death Jar Jar has committed. He goes pale as he sees Boss Nass' body cut up into pieces on the chamber floor. CU of Tarpals as he looks away from the sight in absolute terror. CU of Jar Jar as he walks with his troops in a slow motion march through Gungan city. POV pans around to show dozens of clone troopers spreading through the streets and halls like a plague of locusts among the startled citizens. CU again of Jar Jar's face. His eyes are bloodshot, his face devoid of emotion. CU of Tarpals, who is in tears as he realizes that Binks has gone mad with power, and that Gungan city will become another tragedy in this long, horrible war. Fade to black)


End file.
